Review of Magic in the Moonlight (2014) by Stephen W — 01 Oct 2014

A very weak film which had me shaking my head in disbelief. Allen is in love with the Jazz Age - we know this - but here the lingering over period setting is ridiculous. early on Colin Firth and his chum are going to visit this supposed psychic - so we are treated to a shot of them driving in a car.

No dialogue - just them driving along. Why? What is this adding? Nothing. The film is full of this kind of padding. The dialogue is stilted throughout. And Firth's sudden conversion from a lifetime of disbelief is so rapid, based on so little evidence and so poorly done that I assumed it was a plot device to lure the Emma Stone character into showing her hand.

But no - it was supposed to be genuine. The denouement of what had really been going on was mildy engaging - about the level of an episode of Murder She Wrote. And the backing track was lovely. If watching a pretty girl in a cloche hat while listening to Bix Beiderbecke is your idea of a good evening you'll be fine.

If you expect a bit from a film then stay away.