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MICMACSMovie Reviews
French language crime comedy about a brain-injured video store clerk who conspires with an eccentric group of tinkerers to bring down a pair of Parisian arms dealers. Cast:Dany Boon, André Dussollier, Nicolas Marie, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Julie Ferrier, Yolande MoreauDirector:Jean-Pierre JeunetRelease Date:May 28, 2010DVD Release:September 14, 2010From:Sony PicturesRating:RLength:1 hr 45 min
Micmacs played in key cities to good not great reviews. • Stephen Cole wrote in the Toronto Globe & Mail, "Many will enjoy the film's bouncy spirit, bold Popsicle colours and ceaseless inventiveness. For everyone else, remember to wear baggy clothes." • And James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "...an inventive romp punctuated by the kind of quirkiness Jeunet has brought to all his films." More Reviews Below...
David Germain, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "The director whose films include 'Amelie' and 'Delicatessen' combines the spirit and visual flair of those fantasies for a frivolous, featherweight yet fun concoction..."(See all of David Germain's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 05/27/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: EXCELLENT(cg) "Director and co-writer Jean-Pierre Jeunet is back doing what he likes best, which is moving eccentric characters around a board in a miniature game of fate and chance."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 234 words, 05/28/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an inventive romp punctuated by the kind of quirkiness Jeunet has brought to all his films.... there's a sense of unflagging energy that impels proceedings forward."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 05/25/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Here's a movie with visual invention and imagination up the wazoo.... It may be a little too much for one meal."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 06/03/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the heart of 'Micmacs' is in the right place... For all its moral fervor, the film roams and rambles and sometimes stalls, straining for a charm that should come effortlessly."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 05/28/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Those with a strong taste for whimsy will most appreciate Jeunet's good-natured comedy... the steampunk set and shambling air emphasize the originality..."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 165 words, 05/28/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a whimsical whirligig... shaped by Jeunet's unique creative vision -- a fun house of mirrors that is lovely to get lost in."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 06/04/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "A film of high polish and prodigious creativity... Jeunet's archness keeps conventional empathy or engagement at bay, and by design maintains a tone of artificiality."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 455 words, 06/04/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Dany Boon maintains a terrific Buster Keaton deadpan no matter what manner of nonsense confronts him.... The film, like its title, may be ultimately untranslatable."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 265 words, 06/18/10
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Some will critique Jeunet's antiwar fable for its naïveté, but at least his goofy 'Ocean's Eleven'-type comedy is after something more than casino cash."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 71 words, 04/19/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Here's a movie with visual invention and imagination up the wazoo.... It may be a little too much for one meal."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 678 words, 06/03/10
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...intricately antic... more fantasia than violent revenge tale. And its pleasing curlicues -- like a bouquet of spoons -- linger long after the predictable outcome."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 214 words, 05/26/10
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Many will enjoy the film's bouncy spirit, bold Popsicle colours and ceaseless inventiveness. For everyone else, remember to wear baggy clothes."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 523 words, 05/28/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...non-stop spectacle and absurdity... An attempt to get serious about land-mine awareness falls uncomfortably flat, but otherwise it's a giddy delight."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 05/27/10
KEY CITIES (16 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...ends with an elaborate set piece celebrating illusion at its most seductive, but the movie itself winds up feeling like just that: an exercise in surface tricks..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 250 words, 06/11/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Spiced with melancholy and magic... an imaginative live-action film with the playfulness of an animation like 'Ratatouille.' "(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 06/18/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: WEAK(cg) "Here and there, there's a clever touch... but we're talking about a drop of amusement in an ocean of stupefying boredom."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 06/25/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...another darkly comic French fable and an unseen world of freaks and geeks... an intricate and daft tale of love, family and revenge."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 432 words, 08/21/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...submerges social critique in nostalgic make-believe. Jeunet has never outgrown his love for comic books; the movie plays like a live-action Tintin adventure."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 06/11/10
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...mixes the dark, claustrophobic world of 'Delicatessen' and 'City of Lost Children,' with the happy-ending optimism of 'Amélie' and 'A Very Long Engagement.' "(See all of Richard Nilsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 06/25/10
Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a romp through comic cinema history in which everything zips by so fast that you're too distracted to notice that it's all completely meaningless."(See all of Christopher Kelly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 06/25/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the equivalent of a circus troupe setting up a tent in a war zone: You're entertained, even delighted, but after a while you suspect there are more serious matters at hand."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 659 words, 06/04/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "The first few minutes unfold decades of exposition without a word of dialogue. Other scenes masterfully use split-screens, animation and extreme close-ups."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 07/02/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "...sometimes dazzling... sometimes puzzling... a likeable, inconsequential film that busies itself with gimcrackery at the expense of genuine engagement."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 06/25/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "While the adventures of Bazil and his pals are inventive, they're not particularly emotionally involving... a film that's much easier to respect than it is to enjoy."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 334 words, 07/16/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...filled with whimsy, ambition, sly comic turns and fine performances.... It isn't bad -- there's too much talent involved -- it just fails to live up to its promise and pedigree."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 354 words, 07/16/10
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: MODERATE(cg) "...isn't much fun to sit through. Jeunet lavishes so much attention on the style of the film and his elaborate setpieces, he forgets to include people worth caring about."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 431 words, 07/02/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...intricately antic... more fantasia than violent revenge tale. And its pleasing curlicues -- like a bouquet of spoons -- linger long after the predictable outcome."(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 214 words, 05/26/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: MODERATE(cg) "...invokes great silent comics like Chaplin, Keaton, and Tati, but that only underscores how clumsy the film is in the context of their genius..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 06/03/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: EXCELLENT(cg) "...non-stop spectacle and absurdity... An attempt to get serious about land-mine awareness falls uncomfortably flat, but otherwise it's a giddy delight."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 146 words, 05/27/10
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "Admirable effort goes into 'Micmacs' construction, but Jeunet's narrative contraption leaves his characters no room to breathe."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 688 words, 07/07/10
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...some scenes are so balletic and artfully photographed as to be minimasterpieces. Taken as a whole, though, the enterprise is wearisome."(See all of Tricia Olszewski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 579 words, 06/10/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the heart of 'Micmacs' is in the right place... For all its moral fervor, the film roams and rambles and sometimes stalls, straining for a charm that should come effortlessly."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 05/28/10
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a whimsical whirligig... shaped by Jeunet's unique creative vision -- a fun house of mirrors that is lovely to get lost in."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 06/04/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...welds Jeunet's hyperactive imagination to the simpler structures of silent comedy and '40s-era studio capers, resulting in the director's most accessible work yet."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 697 words, 09/16/09
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "Jeunet's comic instincts really do relate to the visual storytelling of Buster Keaton... In truth, the film is a tad exhausting. Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 706 words, 09/16/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: EXCELLENT "...a whimsical whirligig... shaped by Jeunet's unique creative vision -- a fun house of mirrors that is lovely to get lost in."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 664 words, 06/04/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD(cg) "...an uneven socio-political satire... a fast-paced, structurally messy spoof, which benefits immensely from its talented ensemble."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 715 words, 03/28/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the heart of 'Micmacs' is in the right place... For all its moral fervor, the film roams and rambles and sometimes stalls, straining for a charm that should come effortlessly."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 788 words, 05/28/10
17.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Micmacs's reviews are separated by an average 17.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Micmacs (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Micmacs's reviews cover 47.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 17,102 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 428 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 46.9 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Micmacs's reviews on average broke 46.9 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Micmacs's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
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