Midnight in Paris (2011)
Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Nina Arianda, Kurt Fuller, and Mimi Kennedy
Directed by Woody Allen
It should be noted that there are moderate spoilers below...I call them spoilers in the broadest sense of the word because the trailer, rather ingeniously, did not give away what this movie is about in the slightest. Perhaps rather foolishly, my fellow moviegoer and I had no concept of a completely major aspect of the plot because of a lack of reading reviews for this and only seeing the trailer. While I don't reveal any major plot points, just be aware that I'm "giving away" more than you'd see in the commercials.
UPDATED 2/15/12 -- I don't know if it's the fact that now that it's garnered Oscar nominations, I'm looking at the film differently and perhaps a little more critically, but I recently rewatched Midnight in Paris and boy, was my "B" rating way too high. I found the whole flick this second time around rather pretentious. While lovely to look at and acted fine by the leads (although Kathy Bates is really painful), it was almost a chore to sit through it a second time. My adjusted rating will appear below.
Midnight in Paris is pleasant to watch...and that's simply it. It's a pleasant film that doesn't try to be anything more than that. And there's nothing wrong with that. But all this talk about how it's one of writer-director Woody Allen's best films in ages seems rather unwarranted to me. It's a satisfying romantic comedy, but the awards buzz surrounding this film boggles my mind. Heck, Allen's Whatever Works was a more satisfying film and failed to get any traction in the Oscar race two years ago.
When the film opens, we meet former screenwriter-turned struggling novelist Gil (Owen Wilson taking on the "Woody Allen" role, but in a thankfully much less neurotic manner than is typically characteristic of Allen's films) who is visiting Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents John and Helen (a somewhat scene-stealing Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). After hanging out for several days with two friends of Inez's, Paul and Carol (Michael Sheen and Nina Arianda), Gil grows tired of Paul's know-it-all, booksmart, and arrogant nature and finds himself separating from the group walking the streets of Paris alone at night. While contemplating both his career and his relationship, a clock in a small Parisian square strikes midnight and Gil finds himself magically transported back in time to the 1920s where he finds himself trading one-liners with folks like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali.
Owen Wilson is one of the biggest reasons Midnight in Paris garners the "pleasant" moniker. He's in nearly every scene and his Gil is a guy that you can't help but root for. Oftentimes, the "Woody Allen doppelganger" is such a nebbishy whiner, but here Wilson dials down the crankiness...and it's much appreciated. Wilson is evenly matched by Rachel McAdams who takes on a slightly different persona from the sweet gals we've seen her play recently (think back to her Mean Girls days as a reference point for this role). With the exception of the overrated Marion Cotillard (an actress whose appeal I just don't get in the slightest) as Gil's 1920s muse, all of the supporting performances (including the aforementioned comedic chops of Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy as the conservative-skewing parents of Inez) are pleasant surprises and help elevate the flick.
Nostalgia is really a key plot point and overarching theme of Midnight in Paris. Unhappy with his current state of affairs, Gil can't help but think that the Paris of nearly a century ago is the solution to all of his problems. But is it? In the end, I'm not sure the film answers that question and it kind of left me feeling a bit empty at its conclusion because of it. I'm honestly not sure whether I'm supposed to be thinking "Yes, the past is better than the present" or "Learn from the past and shape your present with that knowledge." (It should be noted that there's a rather interesting read on this conundrum here. Finding myself confused by what I was "supposed to feel" at the end of this, I tried to do a little research and found that essay that doesn't really answer the question either and contains quite a few points I'd disagree with including calling Gil "anti-nostaligic," but at least is rather intuitive.)
Still, Midnight in Paris is a pleasant watch, and as I mentioned before, there's nothing wrong with simply being pleasant...just go into it trying to suppress the "Oscar talk" and you'll be fine.
UPDATED 2/15/12 -- I don't know if it's the fact that now that it's garnered Oscar nominations, I'm looking at the film differently and perhaps a little more critically, but I recently rewatched Midnight in Paris and boy, was my "B" rating way too high. I found the whole flick this second time around rather pretentious. While lovely to look at and acted fine by the leads (although Kathy Bates is really painful), it was almost a chore to sit through it a second time. My adjusted rating will appear below.
When the film opens, we meet former screenwriter-turned struggling novelist Gil (Owen Wilson taking on the "Woody Allen" role, but in a thankfully much less neurotic manner than is typically characteristic of Allen's films) who is visiting Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents John and Helen (a somewhat scene-stealing Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). After hanging out for several days with two friends of Inez's, Paul and Carol (Michael Sheen and Nina Arianda), Gil grows tired of Paul's know-it-all, booksmart, and arrogant nature and finds himself separating from the group walking the streets of Paris alone at night. While contemplating both his career and his relationship, a clock in a small Parisian square strikes midnight and Gil finds himself magically transported back in time to the 1920s where he finds himself trading one-liners with folks like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali.
Owen Wilson is one of the biggest reasons Midnight in Paris garners the "pleasant" moniker. He's in nearly every scene and his Gil is a guy that you can't help but root for. Oftentimes, the "Woody Allen doppelganger" is such a nebbishy whiner, but here Wilson dials down the crankiness...and it's much appreciated. Wilson is evenly matched by Rachel McAdams who takes on a slightly different persona from the sweet gals we've seen her play recently (think back to her Mean Girls days as a reference point for this role). With the exception of the overrated Marion Cotillard (an actress whose appeal I just don't get in the slightest) as Gil's 1920s muse, all of the supporting performances (including the aforementioned comedic chops of Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy as the conservative-skewing parents of Inez) are pleasant surprises and help elevate the flick.
Nostalgia is really a key plot point and overarching theme of Midnight in Paris. Unhappy with his current state of affairs, Gil can't help but think that the Paris of nearly a century ago is the solution to all of his problems. But is it? In the end, I'm not sure the film answers that question and it kind of left me feeling a bit empty at its conclusion because of it. I'm honestly not sure whether I'm supposed to be thinking "Yes, the past is better than the present" or "Learn from the past and shape your present with that knowledge." (It should be noted that there's a rather interesting read on this conundrum here. Finding myself confused by what I was "supposed to feel" at the end of this, I tried to do a little research and found that essay that doesn't really answer the question either and contains quite a few points I'd disagree with including calling Gil "anti-nostaligic," but at least is rather intuitive.)
Still, Midnight in Paris is a pleasant watch, and as I mentioned before, there's nothing wrong with simply being pleasant...just go into it trying to suppress the "Oscar talk" and you'll be fine.
The "Original" RyMickey Rating: B
The "New" RyMickey Rating: C
The "New" RyMickey Rating: C
Hemingway was what made the movie, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI was giggling the entire time he was on the screen.
And Adrian Brody's cameo.
And I would generally agree with the Cotillard assessment but i found her to be incredibly attractive in this.
Brody's scene, by far, was my favorite moment in the film. After he made his all too brief appearance, I kept hoping he'd come back and talk about rhinoceroses again.
ReplyDeleteThe movie itself is settling a little better than when I first walked out of it. Still, it was just missing that "something" that made it special. I will say that I felt, at times, slightly dumb for not knowing everyone they were talking about. While I'd heard the name Gertrude Stein before, I had no clue who she was or why I should know who she was. I couldn't help but think that if I knew a little more about this 1920s crowd (beyond surface stuff) that I might have enjoyed it a tad more.
http://www.amazon.com/Incomplete-Education-Things-Learned-Probably/dp/0345468902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313885219&sr=8-1
ReplyDeleteAnd I got most of the references, mostly because I do love that time period and I romanticize that group of people as well. Especially Hemingway.