Movie Review: Midnight In Paris
Every time Woody Allen releases a movie, there are always a bunch of critics who proclaim that “Woody’s back,” as if he’s gone somewhere for 50 years. The truth is that he was probably overrated in the 70s and 80s, and is probably underrated in the 90s and 00s. He’s always made good, funny movies, and Midnight in Paris is no exception.
Owen Wilson stars as a Hollywood screenwriter who longs to write a great novel and move to Paris. He’s engaged to Rachel McAdams, who would prefer that he stick to what he does best and continue to make a good living. On a vacation to Paris, Wilson takes to long strolls through the city at night, and he discovers that at midnight, on a certain street corner, a car pulls up every night and takes him back in time to the 20s, his favorite historical time period. He hangs out with Ernest Hemingway (by far the funniest part of the movie and the reason it’s so good), Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and others.
What I loved most about this movie is the historical characters and how they’re portrayed. The actors do a brilliant job of making fun of them and paying homage at the same time. All of these characters had a very specific, unique style that’s easy to mock, yet genius at the same time. As I said, Hemingway is hilarious and probably doesn’t get enough screen time. Adrien Brody is also great in his small cameo.
If Allen proves anything here, it’s that he’s still relevant, as this movie received multiple Oscar nominations and critical praise. But the truth is, despite a few bad movies in the mid 90’s, he never really went anywhere. So Midnight in Paris isn’t so much a comeback for Allen is it is for his fans.
If you’ve ever been a Woody Allen fan, you should check this movie out.