1. Carla Bruni in Midnight in Paris.
By Phil Guie, May 26, 2011 in Movie Reviews
Woody Allen’s latest is his first feature shot
entirely in the City of Light, and while it may
require audiences to have a sense of
whimsy, it’s his funniest, most charming
film in years. It opens with a montage of
stationary shots that will doubtlessly draw
comparisons to Manhattan, followed by
what appears to be a happy young couple.
Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), who is back in
Paris for the first time since his youth, is
immediately enraptured. “You’re in love
with a fantasy,” says his fiancee Inez
(Rachel McAdams). “I’m in love with you,”
he tells her.
If only their relationship remained as
perfect as at that moment. Of course, if it
did, Midnight in Paris wouldn’t be much of
an Allen film. Inez’s parents (Kurt Fuller,
Mimi Kennedy) don’t really approve of Gil, and while Allen gets in a few good zingers about their supporting
the Tea Party, at the heart of their differences is that Gil is a romantic, and they are not. Gil has made an
excellent living as a hack screenwriter, and Inez thinks he should stay with it and surrender his dream of
being a novelist. Why give up on what’s easy just to struggle?
But perhaps there is something about Paris, its Old World charm, the way the rain falls, that tempts Gil into
embracing bohemia–much to Inez’s chagrin. There is definitely some magic going on: One night, while Inez
is out dancing with her former professor (Michael Sheen) who has a doctorate in pomposity, he finds himself
wandering the streets. A clock strikes midnight, and a Morris Bullnose drives up from out of nowhere. The
next thing Gil knows, he’s back in time and hanging out at a party during the Jazz Age, lovingly evoked
through dimly-lit interiors, energetic swing dancers, and nary a trace of irony.
As someone who fantasized about 1920s Paris, it seems like a dream come true for Gil, and after figuring
out the trick to returning, he falls in with the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), even Gertrude
Stein (Kathy Bates), who agrees to read his novel-in-progress. He also meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard),
who moved to the big city to study costume design, became a model for Pablo Picasso, and is now his
mistress. She hears an excerpt from Gil’s book, which centers on a nostalgia shop, and is instantly hooked.
Like him, she also idealizes a long-forgotten Paris—in this case, during the Belle Epoque.
Like Allen’s 1985 The Purple Rose of Cairo, the protagonist of Midnight in Paris finds himself torn between
an idealized fantasy and an unhappy reality. The choice proves not so easy as the idealized world is not as
ideal as it initially appears. Yes, it may be fun reading about Hemingway’s success with women, but not so
entertaining when he is settled on the same woman you’re interested in. Similarly, Zelda Fitzgerald (Alison
Pill) may be the irrepressible life of any party, but there are multiple reminders that between festivities, she
had real problems.
This is, of course, not to say Midnight in Paris is anywhere near being an emotional downer or chastisement
of those who wax nostalgic for an era they weren’t alive for. For one thing, it’s too breathlessly charming —
the cinematographers’ use of gaslight and fog at night evokes a feeling of warmth and mystery — and for
another, Allen seems to have found the sweet spot for humor again after the sluggishness of Whatever
Works. Characters have funny things to say (See a drunken Hemingway‘s come on: “I think a woman is
equal to any man in courage. Have you ever shot a charging rhino?”), and there are some absolutely
sublime comic transitions, such as a cut from Gil, who is distracted by his own uncertainty, to Auguste
Rodin’s The Thinker.
The actors playing Gil’s literary idols all hit the right notes; that is, they evoke these great figures as we
know them from legend and myth. Bates, as we might expect, is insightful and authoritative playing Stein,
and other standouts include Adrien Brody as Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, who is of course obsessed
with the rhinoceros. And whether or not her character really existed, Cotillard is terrific in a not-so-easy role,
someone beautiful enough to be coveted by all the great talents of Paris, yet somehow not content with that.
Luckily, she has a fragile, tragic quality (also visible in such films as Inception) that helps her absolutely nail
the part.
Watch Full Episodes
Turn Your Computer into a TV! Watch Full TV Episodes w Free
App
Midnight in Paris
Rating:
Genre:
Official Site:
Director:
Cast:
Our Rating:
Comedy, Romance
http://sonyclassics.com
/midnightinparis/
Woody Allen
Owen Wilson, Rachel
McAdams, Marion Cotillard,
Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni
The Hobbit
Ian McKellen,
Mart...
New $24.96
Big Hero 6
New $4.99
To Plea or Not to
Plea
New $1.99
Horrible Bosses 2
New $3.99
Privacy Information
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Buckles Under Its Own
Weight
Spider-Man Plenty Entertaining But Hardly
Amazing
Is a Good Movie a THING of the Past?
‘The Help’: Adaptation Needs Some Help of its
Own
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: It
Goes Boom
Transformers: Dark of the Moon Needs a New
Suspension… of Disbelief
Co-Directed by John Woo, Reign of Assassins
Rules in Unexpected Ways
Cars 2: Pixar Pulls Up Short
Shaolin Puts Up a Fight, But Lacks Some
Punch
Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen’s Best Romantic Comedy in Years | C... http://cinemaspy.falconercommunications.com/reviews/midnight-in-paris...
2 of 4 3/8/2015 11:59 AM

2. Contact
Staff Bios
Advertise
Follow us on
Visit us on
Watch us on
A Chinese Ghost Story: The
Resurrection of a Fantasy Classic
PREVIOUS
The Man From Nowhere: Revenge is
a Dish Best Served Cool…
NEXT
If anything, Midnight in Paris feels like a celebration of nostalgia, albeit filtered through a wise lens. The
point seems to be: Yes, the party could go on forever, but if it did, when would we have time to get together
for brunch? Shouldering most of the emotional journey to that point is Wilson, who manages an impressive
thing by not playing the Woody role as an impersonation, and ends up being possibly the best non-Allen
lead in an Allen movie since Sean Penn in Sweet and Lowdown. Whether or not the filmmaker or his star
found this project and filming in Paris to be problematic, the end result was worth any struggle.
You can comment on CinemaSpy by signing in with your Facebook, Yahoo!, AOL or Hotmail accounts.
Please Note: We ask that you keep comments civil and related to the above article.
Log In
Original Total Recall
Film Gets Reissue
Trailer (NSFW)
16.3K 3470
Midnight in Paris is Woody Allen’s Best Romantic Comedy in Years | C... http://cinemaspy.falconercommunications.com/reviews/midnight-in-paris...
3 of 4 3/8/2015 11:59 AM