Our take
Micmacs is short for the original French title MicMacs à tire-larigot, or “non-stop shenanigans”. It is exactly that. Rather than starting with raising awareness, lobbying, or even protesting, Bazil and his friends instead play with the big headed executives through whimsical pranks. Everyone acts in the most ridiculous way here. Their brand of mischief combines old-fashioned slapstick and director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s warm-toned style, but like the comedy greats that inspired the film, these silly scenes remind viewers of the real harm the powerful have waged, and the goodness of the common people that we ought to protect. Micmacs does it all in a twee, charming fashion.
What it won
César Awards
3 noms
The story
While standing in the doorway of the video shop where he works, Bazil is inadvertently shot in the head. Now homeless and jobless, he is taken in by a troupe of misfits who live in a giant mound of trash. There Bazil begins his quest for revenge against the people who produced the gun that shot him.
Elsewhere
"The gorgeous sets and inventive set-pieces are the real stars of the show. Jeunetâ(TM)s films donâ(TM)t sit easily in these cynical times, but theyâ(TM)re more necessary now than ever."
— Danny Bangs
"Carefully apportions its visual jokes rather than bombarding the viewer with them."
— Rob Nelson
After losing his father to a landmine and his livelihood due to a stray bullet, Bazil befriends a group of dumpster dwellers and comes up with a plan to destroy the two manufacturers behind the weapons responsible.
You know, these pranks are literally the stuff of thrillers. The group really ends up doing some infiltration and sabotage, among other things, to achieve their goals. But the approach, the color scheme, and the references to classic films makes it feel so whimsical.
Oh, how I wish we can prank certain people this way.
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
