It’s the timeless re-telling of a tale involving two warring crime families who have been pitted against each other by a third party. The third party seeks revenge for the murder of his father and mother. No wait … that’s the plot of Lucky Number Slevin I’m describing. Micmacs is very similar, just substitute “weapons arms manufacturers” for “crime families” and you’ll have a good idea of how the story unfolds.
I like some of the sets used in this film which could be described as toy box fantasies for children. Perhaps I was distracted by all of the shiny objects, but the movie’s character development seemed shallow and briefly touched upon. One of the actresses, Julie Ferrier, has an onscreen physical presence that I don’t often see nowadays. She reminds me a little of Giulietta Masina in the 1954 film La strada. Jean-Pierre Jeunet also directed Amélie and Delicatessen.
My counts may be a little off, but here are some statistics of what you can expect to see:
2+ scenes featuring a mime imitating robot movement
2+ scenes of a contortionist hiding in a refrigerator
2+ scenes involving anti-personnel landmines
lots of A-Team-like stunts in which no one is physically injured
Venue: Landmark Egyptian Threatre, Seattle
Genre: Crime, Comedy, Romance
Country: France
Language: French