For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a comedy film fanatic. And with no disrespect to the comedians of today, my love grew out of the classics.
As a kid, I spent afternoons with The Three Stooges and Our Gang (a.k.a. The Little Rascals). As I got older, I started to appreciate the subtleties of Laurel and Hardy. I’ll never forget the excitement of my first exposure to the Marx Brothers. And I knew I had come of age when I understood the genius of W. C Fields. Along the way, I tried to absorb anything and everything in the genre. I dabbled in Chaplin, marvelled at Keaton, and laughed along with Lloyd. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Sturges, Capra, Wilder... Harry Langdon, Cary Grant, Jack Lemmon... Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, even the Ritz Brothers... you name ‘em, I watched ‘em. And that includes quite a few comedians that are all but forgotten, except for the die hard fans. Olsen and Johnson anyone?
I tell you all this as my way of saying just how much fun I had watching Micmacs, the new film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, Amelie). It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to the spirit of the classic comedies for as long as I can remember. Take the grace of Chaplin, the inventiveness of Keaton, and the anarchy of the Marx Brothers, and you have Micmacs.
The villains are a munitions manufacturer and the maker of land mines (Nicolas Marie, Andre Dussollier). The hero is the hapless soul Bazil (Danny Boon), who was wronged by both. He decides to exact revenge with the help of a collection of motley oddballs best described as a cross between Rube Goldberg and Cirque du Soleil. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that Slammer (Jean-Pierre Marielle), Elastic Girl (Julie Ferrier), Mama Chow (Yolande Moreau), Buster (Dominique Pinon), Remington (Omar Sy), Calculator (Marie-Julie Baup) and Tiny Pete ((Michel Cremades) all contribute to Bazil’s quest in their own unique, off-the-wall way. And each gives Micmacs its irresistible charm. It’s a delight from beginning to end.
Did I mention the laughs? Micmacs, written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant, has plenty. It is a classic comedy in every sense of the word. And I thought what better way to acknowledge this than by suggesting some comedies it brings to mind. So see Micmacs. And if, like me, it puts you in the mood for some more laughs, check out these.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Marx Brothers -- Duck Soup Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo are at their frenetic finest as they brilliantly dissect the idiocy of politics and the stupidity of war.
W. C Fields -- It’s a Gift
Fields is the put upon family patriarch who never seems to catch a break. When he acts on his dream of owning an orange grove in California, it looks as though he’s headed for certain disaster. Or is he?
Charlie Chaplin -- Modern Times The Little Tramp takes on corporate America, and “The Man” has rarely been so keenly lampooned.
Buster Keaton -- Cops
There are many Keaton classics to recommend -- The General, The Cameraman, Sherlock Jr. -- I could go on for pages. But I’ve always loved the pure energy rush of this short. Keaton, through a misunderstanding, manages to get the town’s entire police force to chase him. Will these dozens of law officers catch Keaton? What do you think?
Laurel & Hardy -- Sons of the Desert
All the boys want to do is attend the annual convention. What could go wrong? Well, when it’s Stan and Ollie and they have to lie about the trip to their wives, how about everything! Remember, “honesty is the best policy.”
Harold Lloyd -- Safety Last
You’ve seen the iconic image of Lloyd hanging off the clock of a tall building, but have you ever experienced Lloyd’s entire climb up the side of the building that got him there? This is physical comedy at its best.
Frank Capra -- It Happened One Night
If you ever wondered where breezy romantic film comedy originated, check out this Oscar-winning classic featuring Claudette Colbert as a ditzy heiress on the run and Clark Gable as a newspaper man who goes along for the ride in pursuit of a headline. This screwball comedy has often been imitated, but never topped.
Preston Sturges -- The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek And speaking of screwball comedies, the master of the genre pushes the envelope with this tale of an unwed mother-to-be (Betty Hutton), who isn’t quite sure who the father is and the hapless hero (Eddie Bracken), whose efforts to help her get him into more and more hot water. Hilarity ensues. No, really, it does!
Billy Wilder -- Some Like it Hot
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon hide out from a Chicago mobster (George Raft) by dressing as women and going on the run with an all-girl band. Marilyn Monroe was never better. Nobody may be perfect, but this comedy is.
