Midnight in Paris [Review by Parsi]

I enjoyed Midnight in Paris.  I did not love it like Haus.  I guess I should premise my comments by saying that Woody Allen is not for everyone.  He is a bit neurotic.  His films can be a little meandering.  They certainly are a psychological purging of Woddy Allen’s hang-ups.  He makes countless references to the art, literary, and musical world, requiring the audience to have a passing knowledge, and this may be off-putting.  But, Allen also has a die hard fan base; they imagine each film is the celluloid equivalent of spun gold.  I fall into neither of these camps.  I love some of his films and not others.  I think some of his films are really smart and entertaining and others are absolutely annoying and self-important.  My favorite Woody Allen film is Everyone Says I Love You, likely not a top choice among fans.  What can I say? –I like what I like.  Midnight in Paris does some things very well while others seem like afterthoughts.

It is impossible to see this film and not appreciate Owen Wilson as the protagonist Gil Pender.  Gil is a struggling novelist with a career writing and patching screenplays.  He desperately wants to write a great novel (or novella) like his heroes Hemingway and Fitzgerald.  The desire to write like his literary forebearers has left him with a rosy impression of 1920’sParis.  He is obsessed with the period and prefers it soaked in rain.

What makes Wilson’s performance so great is that he fixes what makes some of Allen’s movies failures (in my eyes).  Allen has a tendency to make many of his protagonists take on the neuroses, idiosyncrasies, gesticulations, speech pattern, and cadence that he possesses.  It is almost as if Woody Allen has walked into his own mind a la Being John Malchovich.  In every actor he wants to see himself.  Forcing everyone to take on his persona does not always work.  But,Wilson brings his own neuroses to his characters, and in this case it is perfect. Wilson’s typical neurotic characteristics and mannerisms work well with Woody Allen’s neurotic character.  The two together are really good.  They seem to be made for each other. Wilson also brings a charm to Gil, and removes some of the self-importance with which Allen often encumbers his characters.

Midnight in Paris also deals straight on with Allen’s erudite subjects and storylines.  In trying to improve his novel, Gil is transported to 1920’s Paris at midnight.  He has the opportunity to cavort with his heroes.  He drinks with Hemingway, parties with Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, sees the art of Picasso and Dali, and has his novel critiqued by Gertrude Stein.  So, yes, it seems a little odd to require the audience to have a knowledge of all of these writers and artists to get some of the jokes and references.  But, the heart of the story is that romanticizing a period in time or a set of people is feeble and a non-worthwhile project.  The human condition is similar in all epochs, whether the modern day or the Belle Époque or the 1920’s or the Renaissance.  We all struggle with mortality, no generation is greater or lesser than any other, and beautiful art is beautiful art, no matter what period it comes form.  Getting lost in history makes you forget the present and what it has to offer.  I think this lesson is important and well taught, plus it takes a jab at Woody Allen himself and his previous obsessions.

What I thought was lacking was some of the other elements of the story and some of the other performances in the film.  Rachel McAdams, who I generally enjoy immensely, was wholly uninspiring as Gil’s fiancée Inez.  Her performance was not compelling.  Her relationship with Gil was paper thin.  Somehow she did not even appear alluring to Gil or the audience, which is shocking.  At one point Gil is asked what he loves about Inez and struggles finding the answer, I struggled as well.  The storyline about her parents and friends was equally uninspiring.  I think these aspects could easily have been removed and improved the picture.  Sure, they presented elements that could have enhanced the story, but they were not used to this end.  Either make them richer or remove them.

Overall, Midnight in Paris is a good film.  Unlike many Woody Allen films, it is pretty uplifting.  The story is interesting and fairly well told.  Despite its foibles, it is a success.  I particularly implore you to watch the film to see a genuinely good performance by Owen Wilson.

PARSI VERDICT:  As nice as a stroll through Paris, minus the dog crap.  Seriously Parisians, clean up after your pets. 

See what the other half thinks: Haus’s view.