Midnight in Paris (10/10)

by Tony Medley

Run time 93 minutes.

OK for children.

(The Mikado) As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,

     I've got a little list--I've got a little list

Of society offenders who might well be underground,

     And who never would be missed--who never would be missed!

…

There’s the idiot who praises, with enthusiastic tone,

All centuries but this, and every country but his own;

…

(Chorus) He's got him on the list--he's got him on the list;

               And I don't think he'll be missed--I'm sure

                    he'll not be missed!

The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan

Maybe it’s endemic to writers, but I have the same disease that strikes Gil (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter from Pasadena who wants to be a novelist, while on a trip to Paris with his fiancé, Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents. Gil fantasizes about being transported to Paris in the ‘20s. One evening he takes off on a walk by himself and is picked up by a cab carrying a happy couple who turn out to be Scott (Tom Hidleston) and Zelda Fitzgerald (Allison Pill). He instantly realizes he has been somehow swept back into his romanticized time period. In the morning he returns to Paris in the present, but each night he returns to be picked up by another cab and taken back in time.

This is the best Woody Allen film I’ve seen, and I’ve seen most. The dialogue is funny and striking; the costumes exceptional; and ambience superb.

The film starts with a ravishing travelogue comprised of stunning shots of Paris. It is populated with all the romantic figures of the Lost Generation, including, in addition to the Fitzgeralds, Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody), the list goes on and on. Gil meets them all with wide-eyed wonderment.

Allen’s dialogue should have him in contention for an Oscar®. His take on Hemingway, who talks in the style of his books, is hilarious. It seems as if everything he says is taken directly from his writing.

While all the performances are top notch, Marion Cotillard, who plays Adriana, the girl who grabs Gil’s heart, sparkles at an Oscar®-quality level. Wilson has spent his career playing in inferior films that have not allowed him to even scratch the surface of his potential. Here, he finally gets to act with a terrific script and wonderful cast and he proves his chops, which pleases me because I’ve always been impressed with his ability. Stoll should be in contention for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Hemingway.

The plot is relatively irrelevant to the film, which is basically a story about two people, Gil and Adriana, whom The Mikado would have on his list. This is the most enjoyable film I’ve seen so far this year.

May 18, 2010