Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen’s City of Lights

Written by Mark Schumann, Father of Three
Thursday, 02 June 2011 11:11

Each week, the Reel Dad checks the nutritional value of a movie — new or classic — to help parents choose what to watch. This week’s pick is a new film from Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris.

The magic of Paris comes alive in Woody Allen’s delightful new comedy, Midnight in Paris, a touching and humorous tale of a writer discovering his voice while wandering the streets of the French capital. If the film doesn’t rank with the very best of Allen, it certainly succeeds where most of his recent efforts have missed. And no one captures the essence of a city better than the marvelous Woody.

Owen Wilson, portraying a confused character similar to Allen’s roles in earlier films, arrives in Paris with his intense fiancée (perfectly played by Rachel McAdams) and her superficial parents (essayed by Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). McAdams only wants to shop and tour with her former boyfriend (a devilish Michael Sheen) as Wilson searches for inspiration for his uncompleted novel. This leads him to wander the streets late at night where, magically, he steps back in time to Paris of the 1920s, where he “meets” just about every legendary literary and artistic figure, from Ernest Hemingway to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Pablo Picasso. If Allen stretches our imaginations to accept such impossible proceedings, he embraces our romantic illusions to believe it could all actually happen.

The humor in the piece, reminiscent of Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, emerges from a series of inside jokes that every literature fan will enjoy. Wilson is captivated by new ability to travel through time as he quickly falls in love with a mysterious French woman (the wondrous Marion Cotillard) who shows him a side of the city he only dreams of. That we never know what is real or the product of the writer’s imagination doesn’t matter; Allen’s gimmick gives us a marvelous time at the movies. As with the best of his films, Allen never lets the frame smother the humor, never permits the situations to overwhelm the characters. If he had only trimmed about 10 minutes out of the film — which slows a bit near the end — he could have created a mini-masterpiece in the class of Annie Hall and Manhattan.

Wilson, ideally cast as the writer, has rarely performed with such grace and range. While, at times, he seems to channel Allen in his delivery, he also brings a fresh innocence to the role that Allen rarely achieved in similar performances. McAdams, made up to resemble former Allen muse Scarlett Johansson, delivers her comic lines with ideal timing that reminds us what a delightful comedienne she can be. A host of Hollywood luminaries — from Kathy Bates to Adrien Brody — fill the cameo spots with relish as if welcoming the chance to do anything for the famed director. As always, Allen manages to bring out the best in each performance, no matter how brief the screen time. And he beautifully captures the magic of Paris in every shot, making us wish we could rush to the airport for a visit.

Ultimately, we return to the realities of the day, with our imaginations satiated by the truth in this writer’s fiction. Midnight in Paris may be forgotten by fall, but it can make a summer’s evening oh so lovely to enjoy.

Film Nutritional Value:

Midnight in Paris

* Content: High. As with the most enlightening films from Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris has a few things to say about relationships, imagination and time.

* Entertainment: High. Like the best of Allen, the film takes us on a wonderful journey to a magical place that, this time, happens to be Paris.

* Message: Medium. While the film is not a traditional “message” picture, it does offer a meaningful moral that relationships must ground themselves in reality.

* Relevance: High. Any opportunity to embrace the loveliness of Paris, and the humor of Woody Allen, is always relevant.

* Opportunity for Dialogue: Medium. For adults, the film offers a welcome diversion from traditional summer movies. Your older children, however, may wonder what all the fuss is about.

(Midnight in Paris is rated PG-13 for some sexual references and smoking. The film runs 100 minutes.)

4 Popcorn Buckets

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