If You Like Wes Anderson, You Will Love...

Micmacs – France (2009)

If you've seen the French modern classic Amélie (with the true French title being Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain), you might have an idea of what to expect from this movie. If you have not, you can expect a quirky side of humor with some bizarre characters and situations much like any Wes Anderson movie.

Micmacs is the story of Bazil, a video store employee who is shot by a stray bullet one night on the job. He survives and decides to live life as everyday is his last, as the bullet was not removed from his skull, and it could kill him at any moment. While street performing, an onlooker sees Bazil and takes him to a junkyard, Tire-Larigot. There, he meets a whole group of outcasts with very bizarre talents and backgrounds, ranging from a contortionist and human cannon ball all the way to a guillotine survivor. Bazil decides that he wants to take revenge on the weapons company whose bullet hit him in the head (and whose weapons killed his father many years ago). His new friends refuse to let him live at Tire-Larigot if they cannot help him, and as the French translation of the title suggests, many shenanigans ensue.

Comedian Dany Boon as Bazil.

Clearly by the above description, this is not your typical movie. Very bizarre and quirky, it is not a drama by any means, but a very ironic tale. And while you watch this, you can ponder the following question: How do you bring down a weapons dealer when they have all the weapons?