Delicatessen

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Delicatessen

R

1991

1h 38m

Sci-Fi

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) is a butcher who owns a run-down apartment building in post-apocalyptic France. The building is in constant need of a handyman, because Clapet routinely butchers them and sells them as food. The latest in the long line of disposable workers is Louison (Dominique Pinon), a former circus clown desperate for work and lodging. But this time Clapet's plan hits a snag when his young daughter (Marie-Laure Dougnac) falls head over heels for the lovable Louison.

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Critics Consensus

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet deftly combines horror, sci-fi, and humor in Delicatessen, a morbid comedy set in a visually ravishing futuristic dystopia.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

10/18/2023

All at once nightmarish cannibal horror and romantic comedy, good-natured fairytale, and hyper-stylised allegory of French wartime collaboration and resistance, this collective debut from Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet is dizzyingly difficult to pin down

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Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

11/21/2013

3.5/4

With its molelike inhabitants, its sprawling war between flesh-eaters and lentil-men, its achingly sweet love story and surrealist blend of dusty antiquities and 21st-century gizmos, Delicatessen is indescribably wild.

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Clifford Terry

Chicago Tribune

11/21/2013

3.5/4

All of this is handled in a breezy, off-handed, nutsy manner, as the superb cast combines to help bring it off.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

04/04/2025

3.5/4

While black comedies are often known for their cynicism, this one maintains an unorthodox esprit de corp.

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Iain Robertson

Starburst

10/16/2023

4/5

While the subject matter is bleak, Delicatessen is a charming, unique movie and a truly unique piece of cinema.

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

12/12/2022

An existentialist fricassee of irresistible comedy. [Full review in Spanish]

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Thomas S

@RT53929595 Sep 25

Delicatessen propose un univers singulier et dystopique, à la fois immersif et soigneusement mis en scène. La réalisation crée une atmosphère visuelle forte, qui happe le spectateur dans un monde à part. Le film m’a rappelé Le Rapport de Brodeck, notamment dans sa manière d’évoquer l’hystérie collective et de laisser percevoir, en arrière-plan, le poids de la guerre.

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michael w

@RT07629897 05/27/2025

Besides that the movie is fantastically quirky as a whole, there are several scenes which are perfectly crafted while one really stands out: moooo -beeeaaa :-)

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Maeve H

@RT03120375 02/14/2025

If you only watch one movie in your whole life, it has to be Delicatessen.

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Fer S

@RT07531533 01/17/2025

Great movie! Very unique. Great casting, acting and fantastic sets. They must have been a real mess to clean up.

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Logan D

@Greynomad38 12/31/2023

In a morbid future, food is in short supply and rice is used as currency. A corrupt butcher lures persons to be cut up as meat by advertising for a handyman. Wow! This is a film I often saw advertised at our local theater that showed art films and Rocky Horror but I never saw it. Indeed, I just had the impression (with no evidence) this was some snooty French film which I wouldn't like. Little did I know it is an whimsical darkly humorous zany sci-fi tale that actually examines the resistance movement in German-occupied Europe. Not that I got that. That's on Wikipedia. But you don't need to know that to enjoy this great work of film. And it has one of the greatest set pieces to ever grace the screen. A fellow film buff said that set piece was the advertisement for the film and always garnered laughs before the scheduled feature. Highly, highly recommended. So sad I took so long to view it but so happy I finally did.

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Matthew L

@RT01298334 11/10/2023

Very entertaining. Somewhat slap-stick in nature. A love story with a villain and a hero that you can't take too seriously. I loved it.

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Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Director

Marc Caro

Director

Dominique Pinon

Louison

Marie-Laure Dougnac

Julie Clapet

Jean-Claude Dreyfus

Clapet

Rufus

Robert Kube

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Synopsis

Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) is a butcher who owns a run-down apartment building in post-apocalyptic France. The building is in constant need of a handyman, because Clapet routinely butchers them and sells them as food. The latest in the long line of disposable workers is Louison (Dominique Pinon), a former circus clown desperate for work and lodging. But this time Clapet's plan hits a snag when his young daughter (Marie-Laure Dougnac) falls head over heels for the lovable Louison.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro
Producer: Claudie Ossard
Screenwriter: Gilles Adrien, Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Fondation GAN pour le Cinéma, Miramax, Hachette Première, Constellation, Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC)
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi, Comedy
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 1991, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Apr 3, 1992
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $9.1K
Runtime: 1h 38m