> REVIEW
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Midnight In Paris (2011)
Woody goes to Paris…
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By Matt Arnoldi | October 2011
Sony©
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Woody Allen
Woody Allen’s latest comedy, Midnight in Paris is a light whimsical rom-com set in the City of Light and takes in the delights of Paris and beautiful places such as Versailles and Monet’s gardens in Giverny.
As a writer-director, Woody’s never set a feature solely in Paris before, although a fraction of Everybody Says I Love You (1996) was located there and he allegedly fell in love with the city during the shooting of his debut film as an actor and a writer, What’s New Pussycat (1965).
To set the ‘mise en scene’, insecure Hollywood screen hack Gil (Owen Wilson playing the character that could have been played by Allen himself) and his forceful fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) accept an invitation to go to Paris with Inez’s parents John (Kurt Fuller) and Helen (Mimi Kennedy).
Gil and Inez are planning for a wedding but the path to true love may not entirely run smooth. Inez has set ideas, coming from an organised upbringing through her right-wing parents, and her demonstrative father swiftly clashes with his liberal-minded future son-in-law over one or two issues.
A coincidental meeting in a restaurant also brings the intended couple into an encounter with old friends Carol (Nina Arlanda) and Paul (Michael Sheen), and Paul being an old flame of Inez’s leads to some dodgy moments with the already insecure Gil.
Preferring not to go dancing with his intended and their old friends, Gil opts to walk the Parisian streets and gets hopelessly lost. He ends up in the Rue Montagne St Genevieve, where he magically gets transported into the glorious heyday of 1920s Paris. There he meets all sorts of luminaries, among them fashion designer Adrianna (Marion Cotillard).
The portal to Paris in the 20’s gives the film an exciting new dimension. Is Gil truly going through some kind of unique time travel to meet revered inspirations from yesteryear or are these merely vivid dreams?
Fans of BBC TV’s Goodnight Sweetheart which starred Nicholas Lyndhurst in a time-travelling recurrent spiral between the past and the present-day will immediately see similarities as Gil ends up spending time between present-day wedding plans and the glorious artist world of Paris.
There are some delightful cameo roles for the likes of Adrien Brody playing a wisecracking Salvador Dali and Kathy Bates playing an ebullient Gertrude Stein. For the audience, this is a magical chance to see glimpses of revered artistic geniuses in their own right. Look out too for Nicolas Sarkosy’s other half, Carla Bruni, playing a lively Museum guide.
Does it work? Yes, it does, at least up to a point. It’s amusing throughout and Owen Wilson is a talented comic performer who can interact with just about anybody. There’s an underlying message questioning whether we need an element of fantasy in our lives to spice up reality or whether we should be content with what we have.
Allen admirably keeps the tone of the film light and this enables the cast to deliver with a script that’s more coquettish than introspective. In so doing, the film ends up on a par with some of Woody’s lighter earlier nostalgic comedies such as Manhattan (1979) or Stardust Memories (1980).
You’re left wondering slightly whether Woody Allen could have extracted greater humour from this mix of fantasy and reality but the fundamental idea is a good one and the tone of the film is both amusing and engaging.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Far from Allen’s best, but still reasonably sharp with the one or two great lines
mostly given over to legendary luminaries from yesteryear. 3
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
Allen has gone for an engagingly laidback approach, allowing the actors
the chance to improvise within scenes, and the results are fairly refreshing. 4
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
Breezy and efficient. Midnight In Paris holds enough surprises to keep most entertained throughout, even if you are left feeling the comedy could have been exploited further. 3
