Bazil has lead a very unfortunate life - especially when it comes to weapons. When he was a child, his father was killed by a mine in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Now, many years later, a stray bullet has crashed through the window and lodged itself in his brain. The result of the second has left him on the brink of instant death. The slightest tilt or bump could send him crashing to the pavement.
Without a job, a family or a future, Bazil appears to be entirely out of luck. But when he is welcomed by a group of secondhand dealers living in a cave, things finally begin to look up for our soft-spoken dreamer. When Bazil begins to piece together his past, he decides to enlist the help of his new friends and seek revenge on those who have been the root cause of his hardships. With imagination and keen observation, a group of underdogs will take on the corporate giants in a true to form David and Goliath death match.
If you think the film sounds like an intense thriller, stop right there. Micmacs is the complete opposite. Lighthearted and whimsical, the film carries an airy persona as it uses wit and intelligence to set its tone. The set pieces are standard, and the story is quite generic; however, the film separates itself with its characters and their unusual actions. Every secondhand dealer has a special talent. Whether it be what they make or how their body moves, each proves pivotal in Bazil's attempt at revenge.
The discovery of each talent and how it fits into the overall puzzle is part of what makes Micmacs so fascinating to watch. You witness some mesmerizing sequences where Bazil and his entourage are surely going to caught. But then, out of nowhere a plan is derived to send them all home safely. But surely luck like that eventually runs out...surely.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet does a fascinating job at directing, using a wide variety of actors to help bring his vision to life. I would love to credit Danny Boon for his stellar acting, but the accolades should not stop there. Andre Dussollier, Nicolas Marie, Yolande Moreau and Julie Ferrier all do a fascinating job at rounding out the film, and I could literally go on for several minutes. Micmacs is the first film that I have seen with a truly complete cast. While others bear three or four key participants, this future foreign classic contains no let down in terms of on-screen talent.
Call me crazy but I can easily see Micmacs creeping into the conversation come award season. It is an early release and has the cards stacked high against it, but it encompasses enough heart, soul and mainstream appeal to really set itself apart from the rest. It does carry an R rating, and that is truly unfortunate. A movie like this deserves to be seen by everyone, young and old.
