Gil (Owen Wilson), a successful Hollywood screenwriter and an aspiring novelist, vacations in Paris with Inez (Rachel McAdams), his fiancée, and her parents, where he is nostalgic for that city during the 1920s when it was populated with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Salvador Dali, Gertrude Stein and other legendary artists.

As his relationship with Inez deteriorates, Gil discovers that, by some unexplainable fluke of nature, his longing can become a reality, changing the path of his life forever.

CRITIQUE

Woody Allen makes a movie every year.  None of them are “bad,” though a couple have been borderline, and most of them are okay, entertaining to watch, but rather forgettable a few days after you’ve seen it.  On the other hand, every three or four years, he comes up with an absolute “gem,” like Annie Hall, Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Radio Days, Bullets Over Broadway and Match Point, just to name a few.

Allen is one of my two or three favorite living directors, and, I think, Midnight in Paris is another of his “gems,” reminiscent, in part, of both Manhattan and The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Like he has done so often with New York, Allen makes the city of Paris a virtual character in this movie.  Indeed for the first 2-3 minutes, before any of the actors ever appear on screen, he gives us a splendid grand tour of the city and its many sights, during a sunny day, in the rain and at night.

I don’t want to be a Spoiler and give out too many story specifics, so let’s just say that the film deals with people who are unhappy with their lives in the present day (Nothing new in an Allen movie), who long to be part of an earlier, more “Golden” time, only to discover that the people of that time (i.e. the 1920s) are also dissatisfied and long for an even earlier era (i.e. the 1890s).

Midnight in Paris is, obviously, a time travel fantasy, but like he did with the characters coming off the movie screen in The Purple Rose of Cairo, Allen gives no explanation as to the logic of this fantasy.  You either have to go along with it, as the Owen Wilson character does, or you don’t.

With Wilson, Allen may have finally found an actor who can do the “Woody Allen character” in his movies, a role that the writer-director is really too old to play these days.  Much of the failure for some of Allen’s earlier projects (e.g. Anything Else, Celebrity) can be blamed on the fact that the actor doing the “Allen role” did not speak in the proper “Allen rhythm,” thus throwing the entire film off-kilter.  Wilson’s style is definitely compatible with the “Allen rhythm”.

Allen and his production designer (Anne Seibel) have not only done a impressive job of presenting the Paris of today, but also recreating the Paris of the 1920s and 1890s.

The director, who is known for his scant direction, has picked a fine cast of players that include Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Michael Sheen, Corey Stoll, Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill.  Again, I don’t want to get specific about their roles, lest I give away some amusing plot twists.

Although Midnight in Paris is surely destined to become an Allen “classic,” it will probably be enjoyed most by viewers most familiar with the great writers and artists of the 1920s and 1890s.

THE VIDEO

The 1080p high definition picture shown in a 1.85:1 format is razor-sharp.  I don’t recall Paris or Versailles ever being so beautifully photographed (by cinematographer Darius Khondji) and with such exquisite detail.  Even at night, on dark side streets and in the rain, the vistas of the “City of Lights” are magnificent to behold. 

THE AUDIO

The English DTS-HD MA (Discrete Surround) sound is excellent.  Dialogue is crystal clear, as are the soundtrack renditions of the Cole Porter tunes and other music from the 1920s.

THE EXTRAS

Midnight in Cannes is a 5-10 minute series of clips from the panel discussion that Allen and several cast members (e.g. Wilson, McAdams, Michael Sheen, Adrien Brody, etc) took part in at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cast and Crew Photo Galleries appears only on the Blu-ray edition, a slideshow of color stills taken in front of and behind the camera.

Theatrical Trailer, a series of Previews, and BD-Live round out the bonus features.

FINAL THOUGHT

This is certainly Woody Allen’s best film in many years, a charming romantic comedy; a love letter to the beauty of Paris.