Review of Magic in the Moonlight (2014) by Msprofessor — 05 Sep 2014

Magic in the Moonlight addresses the question--what is the meaning of life--by exploring the tension between mysticism and rationalism. And it finds a way of honoring both (in a backhanded kind of way) while essentially concluding that life probably has no inherent meaning (but it might because we can't know for sure), while acknowledging that accepting that is so devastating as to make life unbearable for most folks (which is ultimately a pretty stupid thing to do), so it is up to us to make meaning for ourselves and that's possible in a number of ways.

Dunno about Woody Allen's personal morality (and I had some misgivings about seeing the film because of that), but it was an entertaining and compelling rumination on life. In short, if you like movies that make you think about big existential questions (and you're bright enough to infer the deeper meaning), I think you'll enjoy the film.

If you're a surface watcher and are more interested in the romantic tension between Firth's character and Stone's character, you'll probably be disappointed.