Gainsbourg (2010)

What is it about the French that they can just make these movies that have they great fantasy element in film that are not based in not realism but not swords and scorcery-fantasy? I'm talking about the movies of Gondry and Jenet/Caro, where these things are set in plain situations but they extrapolate these crazy elements out of this.
Johann Sfar is a new star on that list. You don't see this on the poster or trailers but Sfar has made a music biopic about Serge Gainsbourg with puppets, animation and other creative imagery. Now, I'd feel nervous about events thinking about trying to do that but Sfar is so self assured that, it seems normal that the hero has an imaginary friend/alter ego made out of plaster Paris, you wonder why Ray Charles or Johnny Cash didn't have them in their movies...
I didn't come at this movie out of love for Gainsbourg, simply love of the music-biopic but this blew away all my preconceptions of what it would be like; i thought it would be a serious take on a French national hero, a Parisian version of Ray or Walk The Line but it's... well, it's partly that but then it's mostly like a comic book story of a singer and songwriter who can seduce women with his song. A pervy Pied Piper, if you will. There's a lot of music in the movie but there's more of an onus on the film to tell the story of this guy love affair with women and life, in general. Sfar is less interested in covering all the important bases of Gainsbourg's life (though I'm sure he does) but journeying with a mad bad philosopher to see what made him into the man he was. Sfar could have answered that by tweeting the solitary word 'Womens' but i'm glad he didn't.
I knew this film was a classic from 5mins in; following young 10yo Gainsbourg as he paints porn, talk shit to Nazis and practice his rap on life models was pure bliss and though the film never returns to the great heights of the first 20mins, it's still a lot of fun for the rest of the 2hrs as the man changes women more times than Jordan changes men. He is literally in a new relationship with a new woman every 20mins- guaranteed or your money back.
And even though, it does kinda taper out by the time Serge goes Reggae, i'll take that as a face value that Gainsbourg was probably past best by that point.
I think what I really responded most to was that, there's pretty much nothing depressing event that cripples the guy like in most of these things. Hell, Gainsbourg's biggest grips with life is that he has a droopy eye and a massive conch and ears. He doesn't feel guilty for hurting the women in his life and lives fearlessly in terms of drink and smoking. He doesn't repent and probably died with a Gitanes in his mouth and one between his fingers. He smoked so much they could have called the movie 'Je T'aime Gitanes'...
Please watch this-it's supreme creative filmmaking and a new talent at work.

I watched Gainsbourg (2010), on DVD via LoveFilm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with TT3D-Closer To The Edge (2011)...