The film is written and directed by Woody Allen, a filmmaker who’s recently fallen a few miles down from his towering highchair. A couple of decades ago, he was a king, albeit a short, bespectacled and helplessly neurotic king. He wrote, directed and starred in “Annie Hall,” a rom-com masterpiece that won Best Film at the Academy Awards in 1978. He did the same with “Manhattan,” which won Best Film at the BAFTAs in 1980. Allen has also written and directed “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Broadway Danny Rose,” “Husbands and Wives” and “Bullets over Broadway,” all wonderful films. And yet recently, he’s come up dry.
Most recently, Allen released “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” which was more or less a step in the right direction; it was smart, funny and wreaked of Allen’s charm, wit and style. Now we have “Midnight in Paris,” a splendid piece of comedic entertainment that is also smart, funny and wreaks of Allen’s charm, wit and style; it just does it a little bit better than “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” did.
It stars Owen Wilson as Gil Pender, a Hollywood screenwriter who is ambitiously venturing into the realms of the novel. He is vacationing in Paris with his beautiful fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams, “Morning Glory”), and her two rich parents, played by Mimi Kennedy (“Dharma and Greg”) and Kurt Fuller (“The Pursuit of Happyness”).
In the city of light, they by chance bump into Inez’s friends, Paul (Michael Sheen, “Frost/Nixon”) and his wife Carol (Nina A rianda, “Win Win”). Paul is an obnoxious, pseudo-intellectual git whom Gil despises, but of whom Inez enjoys the company. One night, Inez, Paul and Carol decide to go out dancing while Gil decides to just head back to the hotel. Soon enough, the slightly tipsy aspiring writer becomes lost in the city and stumbles upon something magnificent when the clock strikes twelve.
And this is where I shall stop explaining the plot, but if you take a look at the cast list, specifically the characters some of the actors play, you will get a sense of what it is that Gil finds. It’s a fabulous concept that allows for many interesting opportunities to be explored, and Allen does a splendid job in exploring them; one also gets the sense that he had much pleasure while writing these parts of the film’s script.
Wilson is playing the typical Woody Allen role in this Woody Allen film. His character is an oddball and is also a writer, so there’s an immediate connection there. Gil is a man with a passion for the finer arts, who has a love for the city in which he’s vacationing and is knowledgeable in all things literature. He’s a smart, naïve, laid-back and very likable fellow, and Wilson is effortlessly charming in the role. It’s one of the best on-screen performances I’ve seen him give; yes, even better than his performance in “I Spy.”
He carries the film on his shoulders as our protagonist, so it’s a good job Wilson is so charismatic as the character. We experience the bizarre events the film presents along with Gil, who takes it in his stride without much questioning. Aiding Wilson is Allen’s writing, which is sharp, witty and filled with character and personality; it also nudges at the audience without prodding too hard.
Allen also has a clear love for the city in which the film is set. One can imagine why; Paris is a gorgeous city that I myself have not visited but hope to some day. Allen shoots it beautifully, most notably during the opening three minutes, which consist of a montage of shots capturing the magnificent sights of Paris; it’s rather spellbinding and gives off a distinct sense of passion from Allen.
“Midnight in Paris” is Allen’s finest work in years. It’s a perfectly charming, perfectly amusing and perfectly offbeat film that fully engages for its 90-minute length. As such, one can only hope Allen continues down this path to glory and doesn’t get lost again as Gil Pender does, though I’m sure Allen would love to get lost as Gil Pender does; you’ll see why when you see this splendid film.
8/10
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