Midnight in Paris - 2011

Gravier Productions, Mediapro, Pontchartrain Productions

Written and Directed by Woody Allen

Cast:

• Gil – Owen Wilson
• Inez – Rachel McAdams
• Cole Porter – Yves Heck
• Zelda Fitzgerald – Allison Pill
• Ernest Hemingway – Corey Stoll
• Getrude Stein – Kathy Bates
• F. Scott Fitzgerald – Tom Hiddleston
• Salvador Dali – Adrian Brody

Story: Gil is a successful Hollywood script writer who longs for the romantic times of the 1920's in Paris. He and his fiancee, Inez, have “tagged along” with her parents to Paris. Inez is a domineering sort who presses Gil to go places he does not want to go, and do things he does not want to do, and he is so undecided about life he allows her to do so. But he regrets his choice to do script writing, and has been working on a novel for several years. He just lacks the confidence to show it to anyone. One night after a wine tasting, Gil decides to walk the streets of Paris instead of accompanying his fiancee and her friends dancing. As the clock strikes midnight, he is hailed into a older car by a group of folks out for a night on the town and finds himself in the company of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. They arrive at a party where Cole Porter is playing piano, and Ernest Hemingway is sitting to the side getting drunk. After an exhilarating night, he is back in his own time, with a promise from Hemingway to have Gertrude Stein look at his novel. Night after night, Gil returns to the 1920's to meet such legends as Matisse, Dali, and even travels to the 1890's for one night to meet Gauguin, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec in the infamous Moulin Rouge. When all is said and done, he realizes he does not belong with Inez, does not belong in the past, and remains in Paris to work on his novel.

Review: Woody Allen has a perspective that will never be duplicated or imitated properly. Not only is this story classic Woody, but the acting and perspective of the characters is so clearly his vision in this delightful comedy about confronting choices and taking risks. Owen Wilson gives a remarkable performance as Gil, the everyman who has come to the crossroads of his life and is uncertain about the path he has chosen. Rachel McAdams is so good at being the spoiled brat daughter of the well off parents, self absorbed, self aggrandizing, and totally unaware of anything she cannot control or seduce. The transitions from Paris of 2010 to Paris of the 1920's is seamless, without the mystical special effects of so many Hollywood productions these days. Gil is sitting on the stairs when an antique sedan comes by and the party goers call him in. The cast is a wonderful mix of American, French and British actors who all seem so at ease in the roles you would swear you had run into them in the street. The music throughout the film is perfectly suited to the city, and the photography is incredible. Kathy Bates stands out for her performance of Gertrude Stein, the groundbreaking author, patron of the arts, and openly gay woman who influenced so many of the artists of the "Lost Generation". And I would be terribly remiss if I did not commend Corey Stoll in his bold performance as Ernest Hemingway, who was Stein's opposite in so many ways. As romantic comedy goes, this film will become a classic in the hearts of anyone who appreciates a finely woven tale of awakening and redemption in the city of lights. Rated PG-13 for sexual references and smoking, I hardly think the teens will have a problem with this film. Rent it, buy it, and watch it when you need a great story to pick you up.