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Gil (Owen Wilson) and his fiancee (Rachel McAdams) have their destinies reshaped by a fantastic journey into the past in Woody Allen’s whimsical comedy “Midnight in Paris.” |
Woody Allen’s whimsical fantasy “Midnight in Paris” becomes a stylish lamentation on how human nature deprives us of fully living our lives in the best period of history we’ll ever know: the present.
This cautionary movie argues that nostalgia can be a powerful force, and if we allow ourselves to romanticize the past unchecked, we run the risk of missing the specialness of being in our Now.
Allen fans should be delighted, for this cinematic confection celebrates a return to classic Woody, a work of imagination and mirth reminiscent of his “The Purple Rose of Cairo.”
“Midnight in Paris” revisits many of Allen’s familiar touchstones — a neurotic writer protagonist, a disdain for intellectual poseurs, contempt for right-wingers, a bent romantic triangle, glib and witty banter — yet, this enchanting movie feels fresh and fun, as if Allen turned back the clock from before his fascination with London locales and felt comically inspired once again.
The story boasts the unlikeliest star to ever be cast as Allen’s narrative surrogate: Owen Wilson, whose film persona has been closer to shallow stoners than hand-wringing, introspective intellectuals.
Here, Wilson’s a perfect fit.
He plays Gil, a hack Hollywood script writer who harbors dreams of becoming a respected novelist.
He has arrived in Paris with his attractive, driven fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her affluent, staunchly Republican parents. (Read more…)