Micmacs (2009)
"Micmacs à tire-larigot" (original title)

A man and his friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.

Director:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet (scenario), Guillaume Laurant (scenario),

Stars:

Dany Boon, André Dussollier, Nicolas Marié

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dany Boon	...	Bazil
André Dussollier	...	Nicolas Thibault de Fenouillet
Nicolas Marié	...	François Marconi
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Placard
Yolande Moreau	...	Tambouille
Julie Ferrier	...	La Môme Caoutchouc
Omar Sy	...	Remington
Dominique Pinon	...	Fracasse
Michel Crémadès	...	Petit Pierre
Marie-Julie Baup	...	Calculette
Urbain Cancelier	...	Le gardien de nuit de Marconi
Patrick Paroux	...	Gerbaud
Jean-Pierre Becker	...	Libarski
Stéphane Butet	...	Matéo
Philippe Girard	...	Gravier

Storyline

Avid movie-watcher and video store clerk Bazil has had his life all but ruined by weapons of war. His father was killed by a landmine in Morocco and one fateful night a stray bullet from a nearby shootout embeds itself in his skull, leaving him on the verge of instantaneous death. Losing his job and his home, Bazil wanders the streets until he meets Slammer, a pardoned convict who introduces him to a band of eccentric junkyard dealers including Calculator, a math expert and statistician, Buster, a record-holder in human cannonball feats, Tiny Pete, an artistic craftsman of automatons, and Elastic Girl, a sassy contortionist. When chance reveals to Bazil the two weapons manufacturers responsible for building the instruments of his destruction, he constructs a complex scheme for revenge that his newfound family is all too happy to help set in motion.

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Plot Keywords:

bullet | human cannonball | contortionist | revenge | slapstick | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

28 October 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

Micmacs

Filming Locations:

Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Box Office

Budget:

€27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$51,914 (USA) (28 May 2010)

Gross:

$1,260,917 (USA) (15 October 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Epithète Films, Tapioca Films, Warner Bros. Entertainment France

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The director himself describes his film as a cross between Delicatessen and Amélie.

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Goofs

When Bazil picks up the brass to determine who manufactured the ammunition which struck him in the head, the name of the manufacturer is stamped on the back of the brass, as is the norm, but there is no primer. Instead, the stamp occupies the entire surface.

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Connections

Referenced in Vild med dans: Vals og cha-cha-cha, del 2 (2011)

User Reviews

An amusing vigilante story

Jean-Paul Jeunet, director of "Amélie" and "A Very Long Engagement" returns with "Micmacs", the story of a lonely misfit named Bazil (Dany Boon), who after being accidentally injured in a shoot-out, is adopted by a band of other misfits. Together, they take on a band of arms-manufacturers whose products respectively injured Bazil and killed Bazil's father, by triggering tension between them.

As with previous films, Jeunet has produced a world of slightly-distorted reality, much like a dream. Although it does begin somewhat slowly, this is hardly a flaw, and the eventual escalation of the tension between the two forces of evil is truly winning. The ending, which I won't elaborate upon, is also delightfully funny.

There is one slight issue that I did have, which is not too big and actually has little to do with the film itself, but is still worthy of mention. As someone with a degree in French, I did find that the English subtitles were in some scenes passable yet not excellent replications of the original. Equally, I found it quite annoying that the subtitles provided in the British cinema version were clearly done for American audiences. I have nothing against American English, but it would have been nice for us over here in the UK to have had our own subtitles as opposed to a loan of the American ones. Yet enough with that groaning; "Micmacs" is a great near-perfect little film and I can recommend it wholeheartedly.