Woody Allen Continues His Trek Across Europe

"Midnight in Paris"

Writer/director Woody Allen has a unique way of writing characters and dialogue.  You just know when you're watching something that is by him.  Allen is extremely talented and has been for decades now.  Like Clint Eastwood, he has released a movie almost every year for at least the past ten years.  Over the past decade there have been some definite hits and multiple misses for him.  While You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger was one of his lesser works, Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris is a fantastic piece of filmmaking reminding us all that the 76 year old still has some life left in him.

Successful Hollywood screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson) grows weary of the industry and wants a change of pace.  He has decided to write a novel but is struggling to do so.  For inspiration Gil and his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams) are vacationing in Paris.  Gil loves everything about the city and ideally envisions himself actually living there someday.  Inez isn't too nuts about the idea but loves her future husband.  One night while Inez decides to do some catching up with old friends of hers, Gil (slightly intoxicated) decides to walk back to their hotel.  He ends up getting lost and decides to sit down and rest as the clock strikes midnight.  Suddenly a car from the 1920's rolls up and Gil is beckoned by its passengers to hop in.  He's taken to a party where he meets none other than F. Scott (Tom Hiddleston) and Zelda Fitzgerald (Allison Pil.)  And the music in the background is played by Cole Porter (Yves Heck.)  Gil is shocked.  How could this be?  Is it all a dream?  For him this is very much a reality.  Everyone in this reality is interested in Gil and his potential novel.  Other characters he meets along way include Ernest Hemingway (Cory Stoll,) Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates,) and Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody.)  What a fantastic time and place be in, Paris in the 1920's.  During the daytime sequences Gil is taken back to the unimpressive present day where he must face Inez, her parents, and her stuck up friends.

Whenever Allen isn't acting in one of his films, he always has the one character that is personified as him.   Wilson at first glance seems like a rather questionable choice to star in a Woody Allen picture.  Given the actors previous flicks, why would Allen want to work with him?  It's because Wilson plays Allen quite well.  After watching Midnight in Paris it's now clear that Allen knew exactly what he was doing when he cast Wilson.  He does a great job of embodying the struggling writer.  This is a much more down to Earth character for Wilson with a lot more depth and insight than anything else he has ever played.  Another pairing with the actor and director would be a welcome choice for a future project.

Wilson aside though, it's the idea of the film that makes it so much fun to watch.  The screenplay is so original, fresh, and pleasant.  Allen has made a number of quite serious pictures over his career but comedies are where his strengths lie.  Midnight in Paris is nowhere near as humorous as something like Annie Hall or Manhattan but the tone of the film proves to be a rather enjoyable outing as we stroll through the streets and nightclubs of Paris alongside Gil.  This may seem like a stretch, but for brief moments of the screenplay it almost feels like this is Allen's take on Alice in Wonderland.  Alice had to overcome certain internal struggles.  She used Wonderland as place to escape and the creatures that lived there helped her deal with those conflicts.  Gil escapes to the 1920's because of the struggles he is facing in his present time.  All the famous writers and painters he meets help him with his problems.

Midnight in Paris is by far the best thing Allen has turned out since he entered the 2000's.  So much creativity and imagination bind this feature together it's hard for you too not to fall in love with the city of Paris.  Anyone who has an appreciation for Allen, literature, art, history, or even Wilson should get something out of this picture.  This is a film that clearly plays to all the strengths of its director.  The fantasy aspect is unique and different but we accept as part of the story.  Woody Allen in some ways continues to reinvent himself and Midnight in Paris pays off in big way.  He is showing no signs of slowing down.  All the gears turning in his head are perfectly in-sync with each other for this lovely picture.  Longue vie Woody Allen!