Review of Midnight in Paris (2011) by Brandon S — 25 Dec 2012

An offbeat and low key masterwork!

Gil is a writer who has had great success writing screenplays but is finding extreme difficulty in getting inspiration for a novel. He goes on a vacation to Paris with his feyoncé and her family and finds his inspiration when he is somehow transported back into the 1920s after midnight.

I really appreciate the unapologetic nature of the film. There's no tangible reasoning behind Gil's traveling back in time and it's almost as if Mr. Allen doesn't care if you understand or not. There is so much beauty in the scenery and the premise of this film. It has this artful stride about it, really pushing the relationship between Gil and this magnificent city. It's written, and acted, almost as if it's a mutual respect between two characters.

The performances were all great! Owen Wilson embraces the free spiritedness and creativity of the character while playing his own role in the sociability and nervousness. Rachel McAdams didn't play as big of a role as I had hoped but she still was marvelous, she wasn't sweet or kind despite her charming personality in real life, a homage to Mean Girls perhaps? Michael Sheen was intellectually overbearing and stuck up which I really loved. I've seen only two or three of his past works but he really caught my attention with this film. Adrian Brody's cameo was superlative! He mirrored Dalí's surreal personality with very little difficulty. I also very much enjoyed the chemistry between Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill. Also another performance that really caught me off guard was Corey Stoll, I mean wow! His role as Ernest Hemingway was astounding, so much feeling and emotion. The romanticized accounts of his time in war were brilliantly reflective of the real man's writings.

Woody Allen created an amazing romance here. The relationship between man and woman, and man and city were breathtaking. A true modern masterpiece!