|
 There’s
genuine magic in the air of “Midnight in Paris,” perhaps the most effective
offering of sophisticated whimsy writer/director Woody Allen has conjured in
decades. Of course, roaming around the City of Light with ace cinematographer
Darius Khondji will have that effect. Perhaps Allen is cheating a smidge with
his latest, but it’s a fantastic manipulation, taking viewers to a tranquil
place of immense culture and beauty while studying the enticing ease of
nostalgia. And here’s something I never thought I’d write again: Owen Wilson is
marvelous here.
In Paris for an extended holiday, frustrated novelist Gil (Owen Wilson) and his
fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) are finding their relationship strained when
blowhard sophisticate Paul (Michael Sheen) stumbles upon the couple. With the
educated spoiler off charming Inez, Gil is left on his own, preferring to soothe
his mind with late night strolls around Paris, drinking in the sights and sounds
of a city he adores. Unexpectedly, Gil is transported to the 1920s, finding his
ideal time period materializing in front of his eyes, soon rubbing elbows with
the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston-Loki in this summer's Thor),
Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stroll), and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). Overwhelmed
but eager to learn from the masters, Gil returns to the time period nightly,
scratching his nostalgic itch while pursuing a tentative romance with Picasso’s
mistress, Adriana (Marion Cotillard).
The film opens with observation, studying the city in motion. There are no
character introductions or plotting involved, just visual identity, moving
around Paris as the day wears on through sun and rain, eventually settling into
the evening hours, where colored lights take over to give the city its ethereal
glow. Setting the mood early, Allen cements his fondness for the metropolis,
which helps to digest the eventual fantasy turns of the script. The movie is a
valentine to Paris, with all of its textures and elegance, making a lucid
statement of modern splendor before we catch up with Gil, who craves the
exhilaration and bountiful cultural history of the past.
“Midnight in Paris” is a traditional Allen comedy in that it spotlights neurotic
artist types rubbing intellectuals the wrong way, generating plenty of comedic
combustion. The tight, domineering character interplay is here, setting up Gil
as a man with his mind anywhere but the present, unaware of Inez’s irritation
with everything he does, more concerned with the progress of his book (about a
nostalgia shop owner) and his appreciation of Paris. The time travel element is
executed with typical Allen directness, showing Gil whisked away by a nightly
car ride to the time period of his dreams, accepted into a social circle
populated with literary and art icons, including Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody)
and Luis Bunuel (Adrien de Van). Expectedly, Gil is floored by the visits,
finding these bends of reality elevating his writing and validating his
fantasies.
Wilson is pitch-perfect as Gil, playing the shreds of sanity along with the
character’s elation with this colorful world in front of his eyes. Allen guides
Wilson’s chatterbox energy superbly, holding the actor as a straight man of
sorts, reacting to the grotesqueness of Paul and the miracle of his midnight
adventures. To launch the oddity of the script, Allen needs Wilson to be the
utmost believer, never questioning the how's or whys, just accepting the
situation for its educational possibilities. At first giving off the impression
that he’s going to stick out like a sore thumb in Allen’s fantasyland, Wilson
quickly aligns himself to the job, playing wonder with a series of hilarious
reactions that merge mystification with satisfaction, with a little slack-jawed
gobsmackery thrown in for good measure. Making a move on Adriana, finding
himself caught up in her period charms and obvious physical attributes, Gil
risks losing himself to his idealized vision. “Midnight in Paris” shares some
intriguing observations on the temptation of nostalgia, with its shifting
perspectives (Adriana prefers the Belle Epoque era) and general disregard for
the ugly details. It’s a striking theme for Allen, who treats the topic with his
usual frothy wit, avoiding any serious repercussions for the characters.
Instead, the picture simmers with a comedic energy, sticking to a sense of
surprise as Gil steps further into his unreality. It’s a journey that refreshes
Allen’s sense of play and his ease with peculiarity, making “Midnight in Paris”
deeply satisfying and charming from start to finish. This is my favorite film of
the year so far.
I’m now off to book myself on the next flight to France. |
