It's been far too long since we last saw Jean-Pierre Jeunet's special brand of crazy on the screen. Best known for Amelie, he has made a career out of whimsical, off kilter films about outsiders struggling with the strange world they've been dropped into. Whether it be the new tenant in the cannibalistic apartment complex in Delicatessen, or the mercenaries in Alien: Resurrection, it is a common theme throughout his work. Micmacs offers more of the same, so if you enjoy his brand of storytelling, you will probably find more to like here. If not, be aware that he is at perhaps his most whimsical with Micmacs, arguably to the film's detriment. Inspired by both the slapstick comedies of the silent era and the films of Jacques Tati, Micmacs follows Bazil, a man who is accidentally shot in the head and still has the bullet lodged in his skull. He one day discovers that the manufacturer of the bullet in his head is operating near where he lives. Not only that, but the company that built the landmine that killed his father is across the street from that building. With the help of some eclectic friends, he decides to take down both companies at the same time.One might argue that Micmacs is the logical conclusion to the idea of the eccentric loaner in Jeunet films overcoming the fantastical world around him. Never has one of his protagonists been quite as much of an outsider as Bazil, who literally has nothing to his name after being shot. But through the discovery of others like him living in a junkyard, he is able to achieve something like a perfect existance by film's end. Bazil's struggles aren't simply against a butcher (Delicatessen), an Alien (Resurrection), or a war (A Very Long Engagement), but against society itself. Only the other rejects will have him, and he ultimately abandons all connections to reality to live out his junkyard fantasy with people that could politely be called "caricatures." It's a simplistic way of looking at life, which fits Bazil's very simple nature throughout the film. Bazil is often portrayed as little more than a man-child. He says little, watches videos all day, and likes to play games with his hands. That he would find bliss in a junkyard filled with misfits makes sense.
Due to the nature of the kinds of films Jeunet makes, the acting can rarely be called subtle. There is a lot of mugging, a lot of shouting, a lot of broad physical comedy. It makes sense in the context of the genre that Jeunet is working in, but it can become insufferable to those not in tune with what he is doing. The two most engaging performances, interestingly enough, is that of the two weapons manufacturers. While they don't exist in much more of a realistic world than the protagonists, they do have layers to them that are lacking from all the supporting players. I often found myself enjoying the film most when it spent some time with these two men, often oblivious to the machinations of Bazil and company. The things Bazil does to get revenge on the two ends up looking more like corporate subterfuge, so the two men suspect each other and not Bazil, providing the film's best moments of comedic paranoia.
This is almost certainly the slightest film Jeunet has done, but one can't deny the infectious goofiness on display. While Jeunet's worldview can some across as regressive at time (abandon the difficulties of society and enjoy life with friends!), he does populate his films with amusing characters, visual splendor, and numerous sight gags. The plot is nothing more than a MacGuffin to provide a framework for the characters to exist in (the bullet in Bazil's head is mostly forgotten, even though we are lead to believe he could drop dead at any moment). Let's hope that this was a necessary recharging film some directors need in order to get back on their game. Whimsy is fun once and a while, but to make a whole career out of it doesn't seem feasible.
