This French farce features Bazil (Dany Boon), a man who lost everything after being hit in the head by a stray bullet from a gangland shootout. Out on the street, he befriends a loving but bizarre mix of characters from the underworld who inhabit a house of all sorts of equipment collected over the years from the waste of others. They include a contortionist (Julie Ferrier), Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle) an elderly ex-con and Buster (Dominique Pinon) as the former human cannonball record holder. Together with Bazil they plot, as revenge for his wound and the loss of his father to landmines, the downfall of arms dealers that happen to occupy offices across the road from each other by playing one off against the other.

This highly inventive comedy directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet is a feast of strange characters, a vivid imagination and the triumph of the little guy over the institution. Boon is an amusing character but it is his circus friends, especially Elastic Girl (Ferrier), who make his task as lead so much easier with eccentric performances that don’t allow real world probabilities to intrude into the plot. At all stages, the scenes are chock full of detailed items of interest and manic behaviour.

Filmed in a golden hue against overcast skies, Micmacs is both of this time (President Sarkozy is identified as a friend of one of the dealers) and of anytime; a trip into a nice dream that is part Mary Poppins and part Bruce Willis.

With a script and sub titles that are tight, this is an excellent escape flick.

Kryztoff Rating   4K