Now Playing: ‘Midnight’ in the Garden of Woody Allen

Easily Woody Allen’s best comedy in ages, ‘Midnight in Paris’ tells the story of Gil (Owen Wilson), a “Hollywood hack who never gave actual literature a shot, until now.” While visiting Paris with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and soon-to-be in-laws, Gil unlocks the secret magic of Paris at midnight that sweeps him off to a place where his creativity is allowed to flow and inspiration lies around every corner.

If you’ve seen the trailers, you’ve probably asked yourself, “What exactly happens to Gil when the clock strikes 12 in Paris?” There’s a reason the trailers don’t show you, which is the same reason I’m not going to tell you either. It’s more fun to see for yourself.

Not only is Woody Allen at the top of his game with ‘Midnight in Paris’, but the usually-drab Owen Wilson is too. For the first time in a long while, Wilson delivers a performance where he actually seems to give a damn. In fact, every performance from every actor, no matter how large or small the role, seems to follow suit. The perfect supporting cast includes Michael Sheen, Alison Pill (‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘), Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody and Marion Cotillard.

There are far too many adjectives that describe the life that ‘Midnight in Paris’ brings to the screen. It’s whimsical, magical, enchanting, charming and nostalgic. It’s no wonder that ‘Midnight in Paris’ is Allen’s first film in years to receive a wide release. Unlike his other recent films, ‘Midnight in Paris’ is a beautiful masterpiece that is easily accessible to all film lovers, and never limits itself to just the Woody Allen fans.

Rating: ★★★★★

3 comments

  1. paramedic0112

    I’m a huge Allen fan and I can’t wait to see this one. Of his recent movies, I thought ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ was very good too, especially on second viewing. ‘Match Point’ was also good. I didn’t care for ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.’

  2. paramedic0112

    Also, when are we going to get some Woody Allen catalog titles on blu-ray? I thought Annie Hall, the greatest romantic comedy of all time would be on blu before some of these other movies that have been released.

  3. EM

    I also greatly look forward to this movie. (Evidently my city isn’t select—but we like it!) Judging strictly from the trailer I saw, the story and performances look potentially interesting, but what really grabs me is the showcasing of the City of Light. I really love Paris and have been there a few times. I’ll have to see if I can get a certain friend to go see the film with me. This friend have never even been outside the United States and doesn’t speak a word of French, but she’s taken an interest in my tales and souvenirs of Paris. I don’t believe she’s even been to a movie theater since her youngest child was born—he turns 4 this week—but we’ll have to see about making the arrangements. Maybe that’ll be easy, since I suspect her husband and two adult sons are not likely to be all that interested in this flick. Dommage for them!

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