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Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Karin Viard, Ticky Holgado ... see more see more... , Pascal Benezech , Anne Marie Pisani , Rufus , Jean-François Perrier , Dominique Zardi , Chick Ortega , Eric Averlant , Robert Baud , Jean-Luc Caron , Dominique Defever , Bernard Flavien , Raymond Forestier , Boban Janevsi , Edith Ker , Silvie Laguna , Maurice Lamy , Jacque Mathou , Patrick Paroux , Mickael Todde , Howard Vernon , Marc Caro , Dominique Bettenfeld , Anne-Marie Pisani

A post-apocalyptic future becomes the setting for pitch black humor in this visually intricate French comedy. The action takes place within a single apartment complex, which is owned by the same man t... read more read more...hat operates the downstairs butcher shop. It's a particularly popular place to live, thanks to the butcher's uncanny ability to find excellent cuts of meat despite the horrible living conditions outside. The newest building superintendent, a former circus clown, thinks he has found an ideal living situation. All that changes, however, when he discovers the true source of the butcher's meat, and that he may be the next main course. This dark tale is played out in a brilliantly designed, glorious surreal alternate world reminiscent of the works of director Terry Gilliam, who co-presented the film's American release. Like Gilliam, co-directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro hail from an animation background, and have a fondness for extravagant visuals, absurdist plot twists, and a sense of humor that combines sharp satire with broad slapstick and gross-out imagery. This mixture may displease the weak of stomach, but those attuned to the film's sensibility will be delighted by the obvious technical virtuosity and wicked sense of humor. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

90% liked it

44,156 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

40 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Release Date: October 6, 1991

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DVD Release Date: May 2, 2006

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Stats: 3,422 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (3,422)

  • MidnightMadwoman
    April 25, 2012
    MidnightMadwoman
    This is exactly like Brazil. That is to say, the movies look really really similar, in thier cluttered sets, quirky characters and post-apocalyptic yet casual world. I liked it as much as I liked Brazil. It was fun, kinda cool, but not really my cup of tea. It kind of bothered me... read more the way it couldn't quite pick what genre it was supposed to be. I think it wanted to be a comedy.
  • EightThirty
    January 20, 2012
    EightThirty
    05/01/2011 (DVD)

    Quite good! An unusual setting with unusual characters which made this an unusually good movie. It is a flick with deception as it seemed to be a friendly comedy, but it's really smothered with darkness!

    Strangely, there's romance and it's the cutes... read moret kind that lightens up the rather darkly theme, very enjoyable to sit through. It's funny which was weird for me cause its just so heavy with evilness, I was so concerned and yet I couldn't stop laughing. Its so playful and yet so evil, what a stir.

    Definitely a strange one for me but a very manageable sitting. I must say that I liked this a little more than "The City of Lost Children" but anyway it's probably not one for everybody, but it was a good watch for me. I do hope to find more like this, I'm enjoying the seriously weird and strange films that exist, sweet.
  • CloudStrife84
    August 21, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    France in a not-too-distant, post-apocalyptic future. A grim and filthy existence, where the shortage of food have turned some into desperate acts of cannibalism. Not exactly the sort of things we associate this otherwise-beautiful country with. In the visual sense, this film is ... read moreboth creative and repugnant simultaneously. The brown-and-yellow color filter really invades the eyes, and brings your thoughts to the dirty restrooms found commonly in local bars. I really enjoyed the ingenuity of the camera shots though. As we know from his other work, such as Amelie from Montmartre, Jean-Pierre Jeunet has an indesputable knack for thinking outside the box. However, due to its unappealing settings and nauseating colors, this unfortunately boils down to my least favourite film by him. On the whole it's still good though and certainly worth the time invested.
  • blkbomb
    June 24, 2011
    blkbomb
    "This is a job for the Australian!"
    This is no where near as good as Jeunets masterpiece Amelie; but it is still a very quirky and entertaining film. Although the movie does have some scenes that are extremely funny; on the whole it isn't that funny of a movie. There is a sex sce... read morene that is if not the funniest, then one of the funniest parts of the movie. Overall, Delicatessen is definitely worth a watch, especially if you like Jeunets other movies.
  • aliceinpunderland
    June 6, 2011
    aliceinpunderland
    This film is kinda the nail in the coffin of my assertion that Jean-Pierre Jeunet had one great idea (Amelie), and everything else is just a convoluted mess.

    Dominique Pinon and Marie-Laure Dougnac are quite sweet and charming as the handyman who came to dinner and the ga... read morel who loves him. Their cello and saw-playing are mesmerizing, but that was the only music I enjoyed in the movie. The sound of knives sharpening really grinds my gears, and the sex symphony doesn't have nearly as many rhythms and sounds as this one crazy sequence in "Scrubs." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzmHEU5866I

    Also, as with Micmacs, there seems to be a hint of dystopian satire, but it gets lost in too many characters and too many quirks.
  • TomBowler
    May 18, 2011
    TomBowler
    Absolutely amazing. Equals parts comedy, tragedy, romance and thriller, this is one of the best foreign language you'll ever watch. Full review later.
  • FrizzDrop
    September 27, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    Woah, was this film complicated. You've got wartime cannibalism, attempted suicide, monkeys, clowns, a musical saw. It's the perfect film!
  • fernandorafael
    September 6, 2009
    fernandorafael
    Set in a foggy, devastated, livestock-lacking town, DELICATESSEN is a delectable dark comedy by the incredible minds of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. The creative team behind DELICATESSEN make up for a somewhat weak plot with impressive character development and visual perfec... read moretion.

    Dominique Pinon stands out among the impressive cast, but the real reason to watch this film is because it's a feast for the eyes. Cinematography, lighting, direction, costumes and performances are all stupendous.
  • SirPant
    August 28, 2009
    SirPant
    An amazing film! Possibly one of the best films of the last 30 years, and easily in the top 5 best films of the 90's. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro are a match made in heaven. Dominique Pinon is also one of the most overlooked actors working today. Brilliant.
  • 366weirdmovies
    August 27, 2009
    366weirdmovies
    A butcher runs a boarding house filled with bizarre residents in a near future plagued by shortages, but always seems to have enough meat to barter... Offbeat and often fascinating futuristic black comedy, built around some amazing set pieces (a rhythmic symphony the boarders co... read morellaborate on without knowing it, the Rube Goldberg contraptions a schizophrenic woman invents to try to commit suicide).

View All Delicatessen Reviews

Critic Reviews

Duane Byrge
June 5, 2007
Duane Byrge, Hollywood Reporter

With their detached, sardonic and decidedly sick slant, Jeunet and Caro have served up a burnt-to-a-crisp feast.

Jonathan Rosenbaum
June 5, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

There are no characters to care about or remember afterward -- just a lot of flashy technique involving decor, some glib allegorical flourishes, and the obligatory studied film-school weirdness. Full Review

Variety Staff
June 5, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

A zany little film that's a startling and clever debut for co-helmers Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Its last half-hour is devoted chiefly to letting the characters wreck the sets, and quite literally becomes a washout when the bathtub overflows. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

A laboriously self-conscious attempt at being avant-garde. Full Review

Jenn Shreve
January 1, 2000
Jenn Shreve, Salon.com

Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film leaves you overwhelmed and breathless. Full Review

Mike Edwards
February 1, 2011
Mike Edwards, What Culture

Like a light-hearted Brazil it conjures up imagery of such impact, and such resonant subject matter that it will (...) affect audiences for generations to come. Full Review

Peter Canavese
October 5, 2010
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

Serves up a stew that seems to be made of a little of everything from one hundred years of screen comedy, seasoned with Grand Guignol. [Blu-ray] Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 16, 2010
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

[A] black-hearted black comedy, directed as if it were a living cartoon. Full Review

Charles Cassady
August 24, 2010
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Dark comedy-fantasy about cannibalism isn't for kids. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Delicatessen Trivia

  • Which two alternate films did Jean-Pierre Jeunet produce ?  Answer »
  • Name the director of these films: Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Alien: Resurrection, Amelie  Answer »
  • What actor played in: The City of Lost Children (Cité des enfants perdus, La), Alien: Resurrection, and Delicatessen?  Answer »
  • In the foreign film "Delicatessen," during the scene where two people are making love on a creaky bed, which is not an activity that are other people participating in rhythm to the creaky bed?  Answer »
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