Movie Review: Midnight in Paris (2011)

Woody Allen may make me fall in love with the "Romantic Comedy" yet.  Or at least, make me fall in love with "Woody Allen Romantic Comedies"!  His sweet but neurotic protagonists, beautiful cinematography and his handling of very normal, very human romantic conflicts in such a sympathetic yet humorous way is utterly charming.

Midnight in Paris is about Gil and Inez (played by Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams), a young engaged couple traveling to Paris along with her parents who are there on a business trip.  Gil is a writer and an incurable romantic, in love with the idea of Paris and with the past.  The couple seems entirely mismatched, Inez more interested in following an old college crush who is supposedly the expert on everything under the sun while Gil wants to walk the streets in the rain and write his novel.  One evening they go their separate ways and Gil gets into an (absolutely gorgeous!!) antique car and is whisked back in time to Paris during the 1920s.  There he meets his cultural idols, including the uber-masculine Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter and on and on.  His encounters in the past make him re-evaluate his life, his relationship and his glorification of a past era versus his very real present.

Owen Wilson as Gil is everything a romantic protagonist should be, particularly when confronted with the question of whether one can love more than one woman at a time.  I am not a fan of his acting usually, but his rendition of a Woody Allen hero made me smile and root for his character's happiness.  The big name cast that were brought in to portray some of the greatest writers, musicians and painters of the 1920s just led to one delighted laugh after another as each one is introduced to our modern-age tourist.  An embarrassment of riches!  Corey Stoll's portrayal of Ernest Hemingway, in particular, was just perfect!

It also features possibly my favorite young actress: Marion Cotillard.  It is so rare in Hollywood to find an actress who is not only stunningly beautiful, dripping with sexuality and yet is also gifted in her craft.  As Picasso's mistress she practically steals every scene she is in, regardless of which historical figure she is sharing the screen with.

Woody Allen with Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard.  Image courtesy of Zimbio.com.

And the costumes!  The sets!  The music and art and history and the sheer architectural beauty of the city itself!  If I could have crawled into that beautiful car and traveled back to that time, I don't know that I could have summoned the strength to come back!

As a film, it is not heavy fare.  It is light, sweet, inspiring and optimistic.  It made me want to explore the streets of Paris in the rain and listen to Cole Porter on a record player at a little antiques store.  What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with your sweetheart!