Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.
Midnight in Paris, directed by Woody Allen, is a visually beautiful, well-written film, which takes the audience through a psychedelic love journey.
The opening of the film has some wonderful shots of Paris, for roughly three minutes its just jazz music and different shots of Paris; that alone put a smile on my face. Maybe because it’s the city of love, or maybe it just looked mesmerising.
The film looks at the relationship between a couple, a struggling writer who’s in love with Paris, and his girlfriend who can’t see herself moving there. The couple played by Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams work well together on screen and they suit their characters very well. Wilson in particular shines as a struggling writer who ends up interacting with some of his literary idols. Some of the characters Gil stumbles into are very well portrayed and are brought to life by the actors. I think this showed some good chemistry between the cast and it showed in the characters’ interaction between one another. A quick mention - Martin Sheen, who plays a friend of Rachel McAdams character, Inez, who pisses Gil off, does quite an exquisite job.
Woody Allen has been releasing films at an alarming rate - practically every year there’s a new film out by him. He’s got some mixed reactions to his film but there are some standout films and others are just confusing to watch. I’ve seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which came out a few years ago: a film I really enjoyed. When I saw the trailer for this film I was excited to watch it, but it’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to go to the cinema to check it out. I genuinely believe Woody Allen has done a tremendous job in capturing the beauty of Paris as well as telling an appealing story.
The film itself is a great watch with some very funny moments as well as some beautiful moments. The characters are very well written and the story moves at a graceful pace. The writing is great, and you can see Woody Allen getting back to his best with this film. The film is wonderfully shot and some amazing picturesque scenes of Paris, which just makes me want to stay there for a couple of months!
Overall I’d say this is for a romantic and believer - an individual filled with nostalgia and dreams. A wistful melancholy filled film that rises above expectations and delivers a charming film.
8/10