Film Review: Midnight in Paris

In the eyes of this southern woman, Woody Allen has done for Paris what he did for Manhattan. Allen takes you on the ultimate visual vacation of everything that is enchanting about Paris - the architecture, cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes, lights, flowers in bloom, and even the rain. The Dixieland blues background accompaniment captures the audience in a dream-like state that sets up the film perfectly.

A disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter (Owen Wilson) who is about to marry the wrong woman (Rachel McAdams) finds himself in Paris with his future in-laws and a couple of his fiance's friends. In an attempt to avoid spending more time with her friends, he strolls through the streets of Paris alone and finds himself transported to 1920's Paris when the clock strikes midnight discussing writing, music, art and love with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, and Man Ray. He meets artist groupie, fashion designer and current Picasso lover (Marion Cotillard) who, in turn, is nostalgic for the Belle Epoque period and meets the likes of Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Paul Gauguin and Edgar Degas.

It seems Allen is less pessimistic in this film, but there certainly is a lesson here about creating a Golden Age in which one lives. I have seen almost all, if not all of Allen's films and I can pick out which lines have been repeated, sometimes even the response. One of my complaints since Allen has stopped being the leading man is that it seems to me the actors try to mimic Allen's acting style. I found Owen Wilson's performance perfect here, believable in his uncertainty and his romanticism without the weight of death and despair.

Being from Alabama, it was a delight to see Alison Pill's portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald, who was born in Montgomery, and to hear her spot on southern accent. When asked by Wilson's character if she was from America, she responds (paraphrasing from memory): Well, I'm from Alabama. If you call that America, I do. I loved hearing a southern s'il vous plait.

I don't know that I will ever be able to go to Paris but this film helps me feel a little closer. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 stars