You really can’t go too far wrong with a rom com set in Paris – even if the idea of Woody Allen directing a film makes me a tad nervous. More com than rom, but so littered with fabulous actors that it would have taken real effort to ruin it…
You really can’t go too far wrong with a rom com set in Paris – even if the idea of Woody Allen directing a film makes me a tad nervous.
The last Allen extravaganza I watched (actually turned off after 15 minutes) was a musical starring Julia Roberts. Need I say more…But A Midnight in Paris is actually a lovely watch. More com, rather than rom, but so littered with fabulous actors that it would have taken real effort to ruin it.
The basic premise is an engaged couple (Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams) are holidaying in Paris on the coat tails of her Boston Tea Party parents.
He is remembering his decision as a young man, to return to California and write film scripts rather than stay in Paris to pursue his dream of writing novels. She just wants to make sure he keeps getting the lucrative contracts and fits into her idea of a wonderful life – Malibu and $18000 antique armchairs.
She and her parents are hilariously awful and are responsible for many of the laugh-out-loud moments in the film.
Gill (Owen Wilson) goes wandering the streets of Paris and at midnight finds himself transported back in time to 1920s Paris, the era he idolises.
If you are familiar with any of Owen Wilson’s previous work, you will not be able to escape the overwhelming dejavu which always accompanies a film he stars in. He is always the same bewildered and lost, blonde and buff guy who haphazardly seems to attract one gorgeous girl after another. This film does not escape this. Whether Wilson is actually an actor at all does not seem to detract from how satisfying the film is. Though I never really cared much about the novel he dreams of publishing, his escapades into 1920s bohemian Paris are so entertaining, I didn’t mind too much that he had to be there too.
If you are at all interested in twentieth century literature or art you will find all the important people are introduced in the film. If you know nothing about the period you may find yourself laughing along with the rest of the audience, hoping you catch on to the joke once you have done some research on Wikipedia. The caricatures of Dali and Hemingway had the audience hooting with laughter.
So if you were expecting a romance with strong characters you both love and hate and can’t wait to see happily ever after, this is not the film for you. But if you love a sharp script, Paris in the rain and want to see some excellent actors in action, this is the film for you. Sweet and simple, with a bit of bite. Much like a pain au chocolate on a park bench in Paris.
By Marion Woodley 21 September 2011
Leave a Reply