Micmacs

Jean-Pierre Jeunet brings his aggressively whimsical style to Micmacs, as the homeless, jobless Bazil (Dany Boon)—a stray bullet lodged in his brain—teams up with a group of junkyard-dwelling eccentrics to get revenge on the two ruthless arms manufacturers that destroyed his life. Jeunet's assortment of loveable oddballs will be familiar to fans of Amélie and Delicatessen. The able cast manages to suggest people with an inner life, rather than just an assemblage of convenient quirks, and Boon's endearingly hapless manchild is easy to root for. Like its ragtag gang of outcast heroes, Micmacs has an infectious high energy and positive spirit. These characters don't live in the real world, so we can accept their triumph against mighty and amoral enemies. Jeunet's love of handmade contraptions (in opposition to the seamless mechanics of arms manufacturing) informs the visual style of the film. He also leans heavily on pop culture references, from the Max Steiner-dominated score to Tex Avery to Charlie Chaplin to Sergio Leone, but his allusions are often surprising and clever, and the story offers a few neat twists. By now, there's a familiarity to Jeunet's hyperactive style that's almost comforting, and the consistently engaging Micmacs is sure to please his fans.