A darling, whimsical examination of Woody Allen’s rose-tinted view of pseudo-European sensibilities and his nostalgic longing for the past, this self-aware sleeper film reveals a director who, in his eighth decade, has finally embraced the beauty of the present.
As with all of Allen’s leading men, Owen Wilson essentially plays the director himself. But eschewing his too-often too-idiotic surfer insouciance in favour of a naïve, childish energy, he’s utterly charming as the unfulfilled romantic Gil. As he spends time with his privileged fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her Francophobic Republican parents, Gil echoes his earnest but empty ambitions to write a novel, to live in Paris, to somehow live la vie de bohème.
Then, as if by magic, he is transported to the Paris of the roaring twenties, where he meets the beautiful love interest Marion Cotillard.
An intellectual’s who’s who list, all of Gil’s fantastical new friends are wonderfully rendered, their mannerisms and charm heightened to an irresistible ideal. As Ernest Hemmingway, Corey Stoll is scene-stealing, perfectly capturing the hilariously bold, unapologetic cadence of his character’s mannered speech. Likewise, Adrian Brody’s brief cameo as Salvador Dali is gleefully fiery and absurd. These playful time-travelling sequences brilliantly contrast with the modern, self-affirming approach to intellectualism displayed by Inez and her friend, the wonderfully arrogant Michael Sheen.
Making Paris look beautiful isn’t a challenge, so Allen’s triumph is bringing a heightened sense of wonder to the stunning cityscapes. An opening montage that shows modern Paris as is, with cars and pedestrians and tourists bustling between landmarks, contrasts with Gil’s idealised and theatrical impressions.
A funny, loving and literary valentine to Paris that addresses nostalgia, illusion and growing up, Midnight In Paris proves that Allen’s warmth, humour and charm isn’t a thing of the past.