Gil, a movie screenwriter (Owen Wilson) and his fiance, Inez (Rachel McAdams) are vacationing in Paris, with her parents. Gil becomes a little bit more than smitten with the lovely city and decides he wants to live there, since he's writing a novel and is so incredibly inspired by people with fancy accents. Inez won't have any of this nonsense because she wants to live in California and thinks Gil is becoming too consumed by his writing. He probably is, since we learn from this film that once the clock strikes midnight, Paris becomes a portal for time travel...I'm willing to believe it. Gil goes on nightly walks around the city, and is mysteriously transported to the 1920s, a decade he deems much better than his own. He comes into contact with such wonderful literary and artistic figures as Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and many more inspirational cultural figures. This begins to impact Gil's writing and eventually his relationship with Inez.
The cast in this film was great, minus Owen Wilson. Between his annoying voice, that sounds the same in everything, to his strange nose, and stupid hair, I just do not like him as an actor and wished that Woody Allen picked someone else. Rachel McAdams on the other hand was charming as always. I love Kathy Bates so I greatly enjoyed her handful of scenes. I actually had no idea who Gertrude Stein was until this came out, so I can't judge how well Bates depicted her. Adrien Brody, as the surrealist Salvador Dali was another highlight of the movie, and his single scene was funny and enjoyable. Finally, Kurt Fuller as Inez's father had some of the funniest lines in "Midnight in Paris" and I wished he had been in more scenes, but I suppose that would have completely taken away from the plot.
Woody Allen films always have great cinematography and music and his latest outing is no exception. The first couple of minutes of the film had absolutely no talking. It was just various shots of Paris, at different times of day. Yes, Paris is indeed beautiful, I can attest to that first hand. These scenes are incredibly well shot and showcase Paris at its best. There also is the nice contrast between modern day Paris and Paris in the 1920s. In both occasions there was great lighting and compositions in the scenes. The music also added to the film, and it's romantic 1920s atmosphere, this included music from the likes of Cole Porter, and others.
I enjoyed how this was not a mainstream Hollywood affair. This is why it was limited released and will most likely not make a whole lot of money. Right down to the opening credits, where it's simply white text on a black background, with the cast in alphabetical order, it felt just like the start of most other Woody Allen movies that I have seen. True, I've only seen 9 of his 41 films, but that is really besides the point. A movie like this with great cinematography, great music, talented cast, interesting story is a breath of fresh air in a world where "Transformers," "The Hangover: Part II," "The Smurfs," "Spy Kids" in 4D, "Zookeeper," "Mr. Poppers Penguins" (I think my point has been made) pass for entertainment. True, "Midnight in Paris," is not laugh out loud, hilariously funny, in the way that "Bridesmaids was. That's just a little too in your face for Woody Allen movies, which I have enjoyed because they are usually clever and funny, and show such talent both in front of and behind the camera.
Anyways I really enjoyed this movie (except of course the lead actor). The fantasy aspect of the story made it interesting and it was a pleasure to look at. I also found out that I definitely did not enjoy the movie as much as a would have if I had been more cultural. So if you are a person interested in culture and the humanities, then you will most likely love this movie. If you are not part of that elite group, but like Woody Allen or any member of the cast, then give it a try. It's a much better use of you money, than paying to see Jim Carrey and his shenanigans with poorly animated penguins dancing, for example.
3 out of 4 stars
-Joseph Sbrilli
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