Midnight In paris

I can’t that say I “LIKE” any Woody Allen movie. They all seem to be kind of “meh” movies for me. The guy has been making movies for years, and none of them really jump out at me or are memorable. I had to IMDB him to remind myself of what movies he had made, especially the ones that he himself acted in. They all seem to have a similar scene; what I like to call the “whiny-rambling-on-and-on scene”. It seems that he takes any opportunity he can in his films to gripe publicly. He himself does this constantly, but he can’t help but make his actors do these scenes also. Maybe I can’t enjoy his movies, because I am waiting for the inevitable annoyance that will take me right out of the movie.

This, however, was not the case with Midnight in Paris. I can say today, I am a Woody Allen fan. I forget who told me this movie was good, but I rented it on a whim. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. It takes place in Paris, obviously, and Owen Wilson plays Gil, an aspiring writer, traveling with his pain in the ass fiance, played by Rachel McAdams. I really enjoyed disliking her in this movie. Rachel McAdams is one of the more like-able people in film, and for her to be so unlikeable in this movie, I thought she was fantastic. Honestly, Owen Wilson was replaceable in this role, . It is an Interesting character study though; Owen Wilson feels like he belongs in the past, wishing he was in Paris in the 1920’s. WISH GRANTED!

He begins these misadventures every midnight, traveling back in time. He meets Ernest Hemingway, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, on his first night back. Corey Stall plays Ernest Hemingway, which was the most hilarious person in this film. His lines were delivered perfectly, and always got a chuckle out of me. His utter intensity was glorious. Such exchanges as, Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion. Hemingway: I hate it. Gil: You haven't even read it yet. Hemingway: If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer. and Ernest Hemingway: Yes. It was a good book because it was an honest book, and that's what war does to men. And there's nothing fine and noble about dying in the mud unless you die gracefully. And then it's not only noble but brave.

This movie seems to be the least “Woody-Allen” Woody Allen movie. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much. the moral of the movie seems to be “enjoy the time your in, and stop living in the past, or wishing you were somewhere else.” Which played to my optimistic manner. It really got me hopeful about life and perspectives. Just good, clean, feel-good film making. You could really tell that everyone enjoyed making this movie and it translated to their performances. Woody Allen really loves Paris; the way he can show the romance of it. It’s one of the few cities in the world that has it’s own Identity, which was full of spender and wonderment. Man this review is getting me all pumped!

The Rating System
Production (Directing, Editing, Music) 4-5
Story (Plot) 4-5
Characters (Likability, Acting) 3-5
Writing (Dialogue, Cleverness ) 4-5
Emotions (Was it: Fun, Scary, Sad, Do I care) 4-5
Over all score 19-25