We know Woody Allen loves New York City, but that doesn’t mean it comes at the expense of the other great cities of the world. The first 4 minutes – the length of a song – of “Midnight in Paris” (2011) proves it as he showcases the beauty of the City of Lights in the morning and afternoon and in the rain.
We also know he’s a hopeless nostalgist, but it’s not just for the 1930s Big Apple (as seen in “The Purple Rose of Cairo”) but also for the Roaring Twenties in Gay Parie.
Rocky romance
Owen Wilson shows himself to be a likable actor within a certain range as he brings infectious enthusiasm to what might’ve been Allen’s role – and therefore a more cynical one — in the writer-director’s younger days. Wilson plays Gil, a successful (but hack) Hollywood writer who wants to be a respected novelist.
“Midnight in Paris” (2011)
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates
Never particularly conflict-oriented, “Midnight in Paris” smoothly finds its groove as an unusually cute movie about a man thinking about cheating on his wife-to-be.
Rachel McAdams’ Inez isn’t nasty by any means, but her interactions with Gil demonstrate that they aren’t on the same page. Plus she has eyes for longtime crush Paul (Michael Sheen), even though he is married to Inez’s friend Carol (Nina Arianda).
It’s entertaining to watch Paul – knowledgeable or show-offy, depending on your point of view – lead the quartet through Paris with hangdog Gil bringing up the rear.
Let’s do the time warp
When Gil suddenly slips through a time warp into the 1920s – something he goes on to repeat nightly – this movie’s vibe makes it OK that the logistical workings are never explained. (For example, how does he return each day?) “Purple Rose of Cairo,” by contrast, explains all the details and fallout of inter-reality travel.
But “Midnight” is a romantic film in every sense of the word, and blunt real-world concerns like logistics have no place. The period production design is flawless without being remotely gaudy, and Allen makes his point without being blunt.
Like Gil, a lot of people suspect the past was better than the present. Allen acknowledges that’s incorrect – there’s even a psychological term for the condition – but he also argues it’s not worst thing in the world to feel that way.
I love how Gil encounters Scott (Tom Hiddleston) and Zelda (Alison Pill) Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), but he’s not put off by their flawed humanness.
Rather, he’s engaged by the opportunity to view history up close and personal; he doesn’t expect anything beyond the initial magic.
An alluring vibe
Cinematographer Darius Khondji loves “Midnight’s” beautiful people as much as the settings, for instance giving a smoky allure to Marion Cotillard’s Adriana, with whom Gil is understandably smitten.
Meanwhile, we see that Léa Seydoux’s vinyl vendor Gabrielle might be the ideal match for Gil; he’s slower to see it, but we feel no need to rush through the narrative.
“Midnight’s” comedy doesn’t come fast and furious like in other Allen films, and it doesn’t need to because Wilson is a pleasant companion on this journey.
But when Allen turns up the humor, he does it effectively, whether it’s Salvador Dalí’s (Adrien Brody) inexplicable fixation on rhinoceroses or Gil’s theft of Inez’s earrings – a scheme that collapses hilariously fast even for something poorly planned out.
Starting with 4 minutes of Paris scenery is the easiest way in the world to win viewers over, but it’s no small thing that “Midnight and Paris” maintains its easy charms throughout its run time. It’s a movie about love (of various kinds) that I love loving.