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Midnight in Paris MAG
Woody Allen is an astounding 23-time Academy Award–nominated director, screenwriter, and actor. In my opinion, his best work is “Midnight in Paris” (next to “Annie Hall”). A romantic-comedy-fantasy set in the magical City of Lights, Paris, the film has a star-studded cast that includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Marion Cotillard, Alison Pill, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Sheen, and Carla Bruni.
Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a Hollywood screenwriter and aspiring novelist vacationing in Paris with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams). Unlike Inez, Gil is enchanted by the city – so much so that he proposes that they move there, rather than to Malibu, as Inez wants. He longs to fulfill his dream to be a novelist like his idols, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, but Inez dissuades him from this dream.
Drunk one night, Gil wanders the streets alone. Everything seems ordinary – until the clock strikes midnight. Paris suddenly comes alive with all the celebrities of Gil's favorite era, the 1920s, and he meets all his idols. Soon, Gil realizes that he is neither dreaming nor suffering the effects of alcohol; the 1920s are truly alive each night. When one night he meets Picasso's mistress, Adriana (Marion Cotillard), he is instantly drawn to her beauty and her interest in his novel, which Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) is critiquing for him. Gil falls helplessly in love with Adriana, who, like him, is nostalgic – but for the Belle Epoque era.
Every scene in this film is gorgeous, from the opening at the pond – which resembles (as Gil points out) a Monet painting – 'til the last. Each demonstrates beautiful cinematography. The dialogue is witty, especially Hemingway's nonsensical talk of courage and Salvador Dalí's whimsical conversation about rhinos. The music is wonderful too, especially Cole Porter's “Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love),” which was stuck in my head for weeks. Additionally, the cast performed well. Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald and Adrien Brody as Dalí were, for me, scene-stealers.
I found “Midnight in Paris” clever, witty, and original, although the night-time coming to life did resemble “Night at the Museum.” However, “Midnight in Paris” is a far better film. It is absolutely one of my favorites set in Paris.
The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Screenplay (which it won). You will fall in love with this film and the city of Paris. C'est un film magnifique à regarder.
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