Midnight in Paris
It’s time to smile and jump around: the annual Woody Allen film lands on cinema screens. More playful than dramatic, light as deep, “Midnight In Paris” is sure to please its many fans … and it may even surprise an audience that is generally insensitive to the type of humor.
Gil (Owen Wilson) and his girlfriend Inez (Rachel McAdams) are visiting Paris. While the pretty girl slowly succumbs to the charm of their friend, know-it-all Paul (Michael Sheen), his lover tries to refine the book he is writing. A chance encounter allows him to travel back in time where he met Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and Pablo Picasso!
Change of scenery is much good to Woody Allen. Since he reinvigorated his career by moving up shop in England for “Match Point”, the famous American director has taken a liking to Europe. After a trip to Spain and back in Britain through the friendly “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”, he’s landing in the City of Light.
The starting point of “Midnight In Paris” looks like the majority of his previous efforts. Someone who asks too many questions (truculent Owen Wilson in the role, of course, Woody Allen) no longer feels out of place in his family and seeks to see if the grass is greener elsewhere. An Introduction “classic” that remains yet thoughtful and very funny. The dialogue is sharp, very funny situations, and although the staging soft sometimes lacks appeal, the interpretation is bubbly. Mainly from the great Michael Sheen, the one of the actors the done more endow with of his generation.
Slowly but expected this pleasant visit to a very old friend reveals some surprises. Fantasy monopolizes the lion’s share and, like the sumptuous “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, the filmmaker gives free rein to his fantasies. This allows him to return in time to question his idols and magnify Paris. These round trips between 1920 and today create delicious contrasts and may call a mode of some wacky “Inception”. If the process wants to be a bit repetitive and the novelty does not last until the end, it provides some unforgettable sequences. In this regard, the meeting with Salvador Dali and Luis Bunuel is a peak of almost insurmountable laughter contagious.
If that’s too long a feature film by Woody Allen has not moved (Not since the heyday of “Crimes and Misdemeanors”) and that this is no exception, it is still possible to squeeze some fun. The unique vision of its creator is still as attractive and high-level distribution (which includes Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Gad Elmaleh, Kathy Bates, Lea Seydoux, Carla Bruni in a role perfectly suited to her presence and even a quick lightning Karine Vanasse) is rapidly in a trance. “Whatever Works” may have been funnier, but “Midnight In Paris” is intended as delirium erupted since the irresistible “Deconstructing Harry”.
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