‘A Magnificent Life’ Review – Sylvain Chomet’s Long-Awaited Return

After his two animated films, The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist, and contributing to the opening sequence of Joker: Folie à Deux, Sylvain Chomet has finally directed his first movie in 16 years. Both of his films received immense critical acclaim upon release, each nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, while his charming introduction to the much-maligned Joker sequel was one of its few high points. Safe to say, a brand new film from this one-of-a-kind animation legend has a high bar to match. His latest, A Magnificent Life, unfortunately, falls far short of Chomet’s more successful efforts.

The film starts at the end, with an already established Marcel Pagnol. His legacy is cemented through his many notable plays and films spanning across decades. At age 60, he plans to write an autobiography detailing his life. However, his fading memory prevents him from moving past the first page. That is, until the spirit of himself as a child appears, guides him down memory lane, and helps him relive all the highs and lows that built his lasting impact on theater and cinema.

Out of Chomet’s previous work, this shares most in common with The Illusionist. That film was based on an unproduced screenplay by one of the greatest French filmmakers, Jacques Tati. It tried to capture Tati’s elaborate, meticulous blocking, which meant losing the distinct, exaggerated designs of Belleville. Thankfully, it still manages to look gorgeous and tell a compelling story, if falling short of Tati’s masterpieces. With A Magnificent Life, the animation leans even further into the realistic character designs. This leads to plenty of beautiful frames that stand on their own, yet sometimes can feel stiff when in motion. As much as there remains great artistry in Chomet’s style, the creative spark from Belleville remains his most exciting vision.

Despite the magical realism of its framing device, the film falls into the same, tired trappings of many biopics that have come before it. The young Pagnol and brief moments that bend the grounded animation approach are the only elements that feel distinct. Much of the story’s structure adheres to a recounting of milestones throughout Pagnol’s life, but it is presented through a rigid flow. By spanning his entire career, his accomplishments as a playwright and filmmaker turn into one big blur.

The clashing tones make the experience even more frustrating. That is not to say that playful levity cannot complement a thoroughly moving exploration of an artist. After all, Martin Scorsese mastered that balance with his 2011 film, Hugo. The difference is that his film, along with its source material, fully took advantage of the youthful lens of its protagonist, providing a different perspective to view its subject, Georges Méliès. This gave young audiences an avenue to marvel at one of the genius originators of classic cinema while adults familiar with his achievements got to experience it again in a new light.

Unlike Scorsese, Chomet’s approach to exploring Pagnol’s career ironically lacks magic. The spirit of his younger self becomes an afterthought pretty soon after his introduction. After a while, it is easy to forget that there was even a spirit in the first place. Also, since the animation style is aiming to be more lifelike and grounded, the brief visual gags feel jarring and fall flat. Its most effective technique in drawing the audience closer to Pagnol’s work is one that Chomet carried over from his other films. Any time characters are watching one of his films, we see the actual film itself rather than an animated recreation. Other than that, this story, as presented, is about as engaging as reading a textbook, albeit one with some nice artwork.

A Magnificent Life displays Sylvain Chomet’s admirable reverence for Marcel Pagnol, which makes it disappointing that his artistry is trapped in a standard biopic. It is a shame that a brilliant visionary in the animation sphere left so much untapped potential, especially given his history of experimentation. Instead, we are left with a film that takes something that could have been magnificent and makes it ordinary.

A Magnificent Life is currently available on Digital platforms courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. 

Before we let you go, we have officially launched our merch store! Check out all of our amazing apparel when you click here and type in GVN15 at checkout for a 15% discount!

For major deals and money off on Amazon, make sure to use our affiliate link! If you are purchasing any of the latest and best in physical media at MovieZyng, you can support us using our affiliate link.