In all Englishness, Midnight in Paris is a delightful film. Woody Allen directing at his purest, the film opens with several establishing shots across gay Paris that, all in all, maybe goes on a little too long. Now I think about it, that might be my only criticism of this film, so that's saying something. We follow Owen Wilson playing Woody Allen playing Gil Pender, a socially tepid but chronically romantic American screenwriter from 2010 who dreams of living in 1920s Paris, specifically drenched in rain. While on holiday with his fiance and her pretentious asshole friends, Gil's fantasies seem to come true as he's encouraged to hop in a 1928 Peugeot by a couple of well-dressed eccentrics claiming to be F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald on a deserted street at midnight, who apparently take him back through time to his favourite period...
What I love most about this film is how it captures the simple pleasures of good company. Gil spends most of the film hanging out with his favourite historical writers and artists in quaint bars and speakeasies, learning from them how to improve his writing skills. It perfectly captures the fun of great nights out on the town, meeting weirdos and bohemians. It may seem unrealistic that Gil so easily ingratiates himself with all of these caricatured legends who conveniently pop up one after the other, but it is his fantasy dream after all. While we all may have nostalgic ideals of the past, the film leaves us with the uplifting message that there's nothing there that can't also be found now, in the present.
There's not a lot of overt conflict, but there doesn't need to be. It's a tranquil, romantic film. 10/10.
Delicieux
French title, huehuehuehue.
In all Englishness, Midnight in Paris is a delightful film. Woody Allen directing at his purest, the film opens with several establishing shots across gay Paris that, all in all, maybe goes on a little too long. Now I think about it, that might be my only criticism of this film, so that's saying something. We follow Owen Wilson playing Woody Allen playing Gil Pender, a socially tepid but chronically romantic American screenwriter from 2010 who dreams of living in 1920s Paris, specifically drenched in rain. While on holiday with his fiance and her pretentious asshole friends, Gil's fantasies seem to come true as he's encouraged to hop in a 1928 Peugeot by a couple of well-dressed eccentrics claiming to be F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald on a deserted street at midnight, who apparently take him back through time to his favourite period...
What I love most about this film is how it captures the simple pleasures of good company. Gil spends most of the film hanging out with his favourite historical writers and artists in quaint bars and speakeasies, learning from them how to improve his writing skills. It perfectly captures the fun of great nights out on the town, meeting weirdos and bohemians. It may seem unrealistic that Gil so easily ingratiates himself with all of these caricatured legends who conveniently pop up one after the other, but it is his fantasy dream after all. While we all may have nostalgic ideals of the past, the film leaves us with the uplifting message that there's nothing there that can't also be found now, in the present.
There's not a lot of overt conflict, but there doesn't need to be. It's a tranquil, romantic film. 10/10.