At the center of the story is poor Bazil played by Dany Boon, whose father was killed by stepping on a landmine and who as an adult just happens to be in the wrong place and gets shot in the head. He awakens to find that the bullet is lodged there permanently and could kill him at any time, and on top of that he has neither a home nor a job. Wandering and panhandling, he meets a man on the streets of Paris who sees right away that Bazil is in need of “a family.” The man takes him to a junkyard heap where he introduces him to a quirky band of characters who live together in an ingenious underground home. This warm and wacky group includes a contortionist, a human calculator, a Guinness record-holder for Human Cannon Ball distance, a maker of fabulous animatronics machines and others all recycling the world’s garbage for art and profit.

When Bazil stumbles upon the people who made the landmine that killed his father and the bullet that changed his life, both arms dealers in offices just across the street from one another, he feels compelled to do something to stop them. His newfound family is all too happy to help. The ensuing schemes pit the arms dealers against one another and use all the skills these junk repurposers possess to a hilarious end.

Jeunet knows how to use visuals to move a story along like no one else. There are times it feels like the best of silent film; Dany Boon’s face is reminiscent of Harold Lloyd. But the script and wordplay are also pitch perfect. I laughed out loud more in this film than I have in a very long time. Just as in Amelie, the world Bazil and his friends inhabit is pure fantasy surrounded by a very real Paris.

I’d recommend this to anyone who needs to laugh and isn’t put off by subtitles or a cast of mainly unknown faces. It really is fabulous. And my mother liked it, too. (In its native France, Micmacs‘ full title is Micmacs à tire-larigot, which translates as “Nonstop Shenanigans.” )

All three felt excessively slow to me. Excellent performances seem wasted on scripts and pacing that will surely fail to spark – or keep – the interest of mainstream audiences. They will likely find an appreciative niche among festival-goers, arty Netflix queuesters, and curious industry insiders in aviation, poetry and fashion. But that’s about it.

Coco Before Chanel is a French film with English subtitles (so if you’re prone to close your eyes when the action gets slow, prepare to miss out on some dialogue!). It centers on the early, formative years of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel as she evolves from a young girl raised in an orphanage to a struggling bar/lounge singer and seamstress to a uniquely fashionable courtesan, hat designer, and icon-in-the-making.

Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, Amélie) is charming as Chanel, bringing a range of wry wit, intelligence, romantic joy and despair, and a fashionable flare to the role. And her love interests in the film – Benoît Poelvoorde as French playboy Étienne Balsan and Allesandro Nivola as British businessman Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel make the most of their supportive roles (literally and figuratively speaking). But the movie just plods along at a uniformly lackluster pace. And by the time it ends, you’re ready for a nap…. in your less than fashionable pj’s.

In Coco Before Chanel, we do get a glimpse of what inspired Chanel to forego the stifling corsets of the early 20th Century in favor of trousers, jackets and the mainstay of every modern woman’s wardrobe – the little black dress. And while her liberating sense of style is certainly worthy of celebration – you’re probably better served honoring Chanel at the department store rather than the cineplex.

But just as the hotel is about to call the police and have Jean arrested, a rich older woman appears, takes him under her wing and Jean becomes a kept man. Of course, Irène returns to the hotel and once she sees that Jean is in the same boat as she is, she begins to give him tips on how to make it work to his advantage. They are two caged birds living in gilded adjacent penthouses working to keep their pampered heads above water, but inevitably they fall in love. And have to decide what matters most.

I cannot imagine this film about a gold digging woman and a gigolo being made in the US as a romantic comedy. There are no jokes about the older woman since older French women are considered sexy. There is no sense that Irène is trashy for doing what she is doing. Even Jean does not seem to have much problem falling into his role as boy toy. Audrey Tautou is wonderful as Irène and her ever-changing designer wardrobe is a visual treat. Gad Elmaleh as Jean makes a delightful suitor transforming from the sad bartender to the romantic lover that sweeps the jaded girl off her feet. This is a real chick flick. Perfect for a girls night in with a bottle or two of champagne or champagne cocktails if you can.

French Title Hors De Prix, released in 2006,

Apres Vous takes place in a lovely brasserie somewhere in Paris and just watching the food being served in the first scene made me ravenous. I could smell the butter and taste the baguettes. I am not sure that I would watch this if it were an American movie, because I can’t imagine this story being told in such a gentle fashion. We don’t do sweet little farces. Every time Hollywood remakes a French comedy, it doesn’t translate — think A Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe. I read that Wes Anderson is currently developing another Daniel Auteuil film Mon Meilleur Ami into an American remake. I have my fingers crossed; he might just have the temperament to do it. Apres Vous was released in 2003.