Review of Magic in the Moonlight (2014) by Evan L — 19 Aug 2014

I was actually pretty excited to see Woody Allen's new movie. Though I wasn't a big fan of Blue Jasmine, I thought that To Rome With Love was an underrated gem and Midnight in Paris was fantastic. I had decently high hopes for Magic in the Moonlight. It has a stellar cast and an intriguing story. Well, I'm sad to say that though it isn't too bad, Magic in the Moonlight is very underwhelming.

The story follows an Englishman (played by Colin Firth) who is brought to southern France to unmask a possible psychic (played by Emma Stone). This seemed like a promising premise for a Woody Allen film, especially because the supernatural aspect was handled so well in Midnight in Paris. And for the most part, the story is one of the best aspects of the film. The story is very interesting and there is actually a few twists that I can't say I saw coming. The plot isn't perfect, though. The third act of the movie was incredibly slow and felt like it dragged on way too much. Many scenes were basically unneeded and should have been cut from the movie.

The cast is fantastic. Colin Firth and Emma Stone have great chemistry, and are both charming in their own ways. The supporting cast worked very well too. The only issue I had with this is that I felt like too many characters were introduced and then immediately dropped. This made some parts feel too rushed. The cinematography, costumes, makeup and music are all beautiful and really set the tone for this flick.

Another problem I encountered is the comedy aspect. I laughed about three times over the course of this "comedy". It felt like a very lighthearted romantic drama with the occasional joke. The tone is very lighthearted as well, with many situations that would have been sad coming off as cheesy and sappy.

Overall, Magic in the Moonlight, though not a terrible movie, is a big disappointment. Even if the cast is great and the tone is fun, it isn't a memorable movie. Rent it.

RATING: 6/10.