It's pretty silly but I was charmed and smiling for most of it, mainly because of its zaniness and the way Louis Malle put it together almost like an old Looney Tunes cartoon (complete with spherical bomb at one point). The plot can be summarized pretty simply: a little girl (Catherine Demongeot) comes to stay with her uncle in Paris, and mayhem ensues. She's plucky, streetwise, and has a foul mouth, but adorable nonetheless. In addition to all the fast motion and visual tricks that were delightful, I loved seeing the street scenes in Paris and the action up on the Eiffel tower, as well as the sex and flirtation between various characters (Annie Fratellini, Yvonne Clech, and Carla Marlier are all adorable too).
In the process the film comes dangerously close to making light of pedophilia, and I confess I cringed when Zazie says "It was terrific" at the end of her mostly garbled account of what her father did to her - but most of it is played so farcically and with a kid that we know is never in any real danger, that it seemed ok. It's hard to follow what's happening in the final 20 minutes or so, and the scenes of all hell breaking loose were less interesting (maybe because Zazie was no longer as involved), but by that point the film had built a lot of equity with me. It's just a wild frenzy of a film, and while it's not highbrow comedy, the way it was made was pretty cool. Recommended if you want something playfully French.
In the process the film comes dangerously close to making light of pedophilia, and I confess I cringed when Zazie says "It was terrific" at the end of her mostly garbled account of what her father did to her - but most of it is played so farcically and with a kid that we know is never in any real danger, that it seemed ok. It's hard to follow what's happening in the final 20 minutes or so, and the scenes of all hell breaking loose were less interesting (maybe because Zazie was no longer as involved), but by that point the film had built a lot of equity with me. It's just a wild frenzy of a film, and while it's not highbrow comedy, the way it was made was pretty cool. Recommended if you want something playfully French.