Review of Midnight in Paris (2011) by Raudel S — 17 Mar 2013

Midnight in Paris is a charming, surprising, and light movie. It's about being lost, then finding your way by magic and complete serendipity.

I think this Woody Allen piece works because of the overt innocence of Owen Wilson's character. The fact that he is trampled by his controlling wife, played by Rachel McAdams, adds to his likability. His strange encounters are put together in a very simple manner with very little fanfare. The result is that we are transported without us breaking our suspension of disbelief. The fact that Paris is almost timeless also helps.

The sets, costumes, score, and editing are just right. The well chosen cast also gives us a solid performance.

Overall, there's very little negative to say, except maybe that the conclusion lacks a little bit of substance. It's simply that the transition when he finally understand is dropped on us very suddenly and he cuts off his ties quickly. It's very mature and realistic, in a way, but slightly unsatisfying. More over, the beginning of the film is a bit rough, but you get in to the beat quite rapidly.

It's good, see it if you like low-key productions.