Micmacs MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +4 Content: -2

Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier. French comedy with subtitles. Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume Laurant. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Opened in limited release 5/28/10.

FILM SYNOPSIS:  First it was a mine that exploded in the middle of the Moroccan desert. Years later, it was a stray bullet that lodged in his brain... Bazil doesn't have much luck with weapons. The first made him an orphan, the second holds him on the brink of sudden, instant death.  Released from the hospital after his accident, Bazil is homeless. Luckily, our inspired and gentle-natured dreamer is quickly taken in by a motley crew of junkyard dealers living in a veritable Ali Baba's cave. The group’s talents and aspirations are as surprising as they are diverse: Remington, Calculator, Buster, Slammer, Elastic Girl, Tiny Pete and Mama Chow.

Then one day, walking by two huge buildings, Bazil recognizes the logos of the weapons manufacturers that caused all of his misfortune. He sets out to take revenge, with the help of his faithful gang of wacky friends. Underdogs battling heartless industrial giants, our gang relive the battle of David and Goliath, with all the imagination and fantasy of Buster Keaton.

PREVIEW REVIEW:  This quirky little sub-titled film from France is populated by a forgotten group living beneath a junkyard. Ultimately they rebel against the those who control the proletariat. Equipped with discarded objects, symbolic of the group’s position in society, they became a Keystone Cops version of the Mission Impossible team, deftly defeating two dastardly arms dealers.

Charming, touching, witty and clever, Micmacs gives hope in this summer of CGI effects-laden comic book stories to those seeking insight from regular Joes rather than Avatars and Iron Men.  I felt good and entertained when I left the theater.  Alas, it contains just enough raw material to gain an R-rating. For instance, a villain profanes God’s name twice. It seems the entire movie-making world, not just Hollywood, now shows irreverence for the Creator in the name of entertainment.

“So, what’s Boatwright saying, should we see it, should we not?” Neither. I’m attempting to point out the film’s strengths, while at the same time warning you of the objectionable content. Please read the content before deciding to see this film.

DVD Alternative: The General. This silent film starring Buster Keaton should not be overlooked by a generation unfamiliar with silent films (and that’s just about all of us). Keaton was not only a master of the visual gag, but in The General, an action/comedy set against the Civil War, he combined broad laughs with a compelling story. Like Chaplin, Keaton championed the common man.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics