Jeunet's charm lives on, just not as deep

Micmacs (2009) - dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet - 3 stars

Jeunet's imagination is an impressive creature. The fact that he pulled off Amelie from a box of thrown-in notes tells tons about the man's talent. Speaking at the BFI preview screening of Micmacs, his latest feature, he admitted that he wrote it in about two weeks out of a desperation to film after failing to score financial backing for the Life of Pi, which had been in pre-production under his helm for nearly two years. And I'm sorry to say that it shows. Jeunet has created another charming universe with colorful characters, but the story can't penetrate much as it's mainly two-dimensional, lacking the depth of Amelie. 


When released, Amelie became the highest grossing French-made film globally, and it still holds that crown. What made it so special for audiences was the complete world Jeunet created and the very special protagonist. Amelie was a part of everyone - she was cute, shy, mischievous, scared and daring at the same time. She did what everyone wanted to do but feared. Audrey Tautou's impressive interpretation took the character to a whole new level, and Jeunet experienced the rare joy of having created a successful film that's loved by critics and movie-goers alike.


Micmacs also features some very colorful characters and carries Jeunet's signature heavily. At the center, we have Bazil, played by Dany Boon, who works at a local video rental store. One night, out of chance, he witnesses a gun-blazing car chase fit for the movies and ends up with a bullet lodged in his brain. The bullet stops short of killing him, and the doctors decide he needs to live with it as the risk of removing it is too high. To add to the coincidence, the bullet lodged in his brain is made by the same company whose bullet also killed his father. A tale of revenge unfolds with the kookiest crew ever as Bazil's new adopted family includes a contortionist, mechanics genius and a mind reader among others.


What starts out as a fun ensemble doesn't expand to anything beyond that. Characters exhibit one characteristic, which serves as a key point in the film. They never really grow or change. Everyone's happy with what they've got so the final experience feels a bit like watching a cartoon. It's like any Japanese cartoon of super heroes who seem silly by themselves, but together, they're formidable. 


Visually, the film features heavy post-production digital coloring similar to Amelie, which enhances the cartoon aspect of the film. The Paris we see in the film is very much an alternate Paris as you will not see many references to the modern-day city we know. It's obvious that Jeunet spent quite a bit of time to perfect the look of the film to reflect the contradiction between the emotionless stainless steel of the weapons firms and the coziness of the kooky team's hideout.


All in all, Micmacs delivers an enjoyable time at the cinema. Just don't expect anything like Amelie this time around.