Review of Magic in the Moonlight (2014) by Spangle — 11 Jan 2017

For an atheist such as himself, this ultimately means a critique of religion or spiritual elements that he rejects as fake scams. Yet, here, Allen shows a hint of regret for his full on rejection of faith and religion. Certainly, Magic in the Moonlight does not endorse religion or show an about face turn from the director's hard line stance on the subject, but it does show a tinge of regret. While his aforementioned 2010 picture, which could be seen as a companion piece to this one, explored the joy of delusion, this film shows the joy of not being so pessimistic and antagonistic. Instead, enjoying the simple magic of daily life and the mysteries of the world that science cannot answer, one can find unbridled joy.

Starring Colin Firth and Emma Stone, the romance of the film may go awry a bit since Firth is twice Stone's age, but as with all of Allen's films, philosophy plays a huge part. Name dropping Freud and Nietzsche as often as he name drops God, Allen toys with the idea of his surrogate, magician and skeptic Stanley Crawford (Firth), coming to religion upon meeting Sophie Baker (Stone). A famed magician and debunker of mediums, Stanley is tasked with debunking Sophie as a medium capable of communicating with spirits. However, whatever her trick, Stanley begins to believe she actually is a medium and, as such, the very core of his beliefs is shaken beyond repair. When his aunt has an accident is in the hospital, he even begins to pray. But, he catches himself and begins to chastise himself for actually believing in Sophie and, as such, a spiritual side to the world. However, he is so pessimistic and self-righteous, he is unable to look beyond the scope of his own opinion. He merely looks at religion and the belief in mediums as nothing but delusions that distract people from their pain, rather than being actual solutions.

This pessimism hurts him in his romance with Sophie. He is such a pragmatist, he is unable to give into chance and take a risk with a girl who may be worth taking a risk for. Instead, he has a set idea as to what the woman he is with is supposed to do and be like. The feelings Sophie conjures within him are foreign and beyond rational thought, as such, they are wrong. Since they are inexplicable, it is beyond comprehension that is anything but his heart steering his head, which is disastrous. Thus, she must be rejected unless she agrees. It is only once he begins to look past this hard headedness that he begins to believe in her and, even when this faith is shaken, he is able to give into the magical mysteriousness of the world and follow his heart.

To me, this seems to be an admission of regret by Allen. Just as You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger saw him conceding that those that give into "delusions" are happier than he will ever be, Magic in the Moonlight finds him admitting he should be less pessimistic. While he can still be an atheist, being outspoken on the subject and some focused on rationality may not be the best course of action, given the unbridled joy that giving into magic can create.

All of that said though, the chemistry between Firth and Stone could have been better. The casting of them as the leads is curious and hurts the final product, as does the predictability of the whole thing. That said, both turn in solid performances, even if neither is excellent in the film. The real joy is yet another late-period Woody Allen flick that finds him dumping characters into the European countryside and letting them drive around. That said, it does deviate a bit from his other works as it is far less neurotic than many of his films. Though Firth spews a lot of Allen-esque lines in regards to philosophy, he lacks the chaotic and colliding way of speaking that Allen has and many Allen surrogates have had, driving at the character's neurotic state of being. In Magic in the Moonlight, neurosis is not nearly as much of a factor, especially in comparison to the melancholy tinge of regret that dominates this picture. Mildly funny and somewhat romantic, the film largely succeeds philosophically and with the easy and light nature of entertainment that Woody Allen films always provide.