Midnight in Paris

A defense of Woody Allen would probably consist of telling people that they hadn't seen or remembered his most recent films. For, it is so often said that he's an old hack nowadays, and upon the emergence of his 41st film, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, easy to say that it's his best film in years. People simply don't remember his better films of the 2000's. I name MATCH POINT, SWEET AND LOWDOWN, and VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA as some of his better films, and they're all relatively recent. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is, admittedly, a very good work of popular art, and less awkward as his very recent WHATEVER WORKS. Allen accomplishes this consensus-driven triumph by placing a actor who isn't innately neurotic in the neurotic, "Allen" dominated role. Consider WHATEVER WORKS, where the always neurotic Larry David, who is very funny on his HBO show, in that role. But here Allen uses Owen Wilson, and he's given the opportunity to act, and not just be himself. Wilson plays Gil, who's enamored with 1920's Paris, and visiting his fiancé's parents in the great city. He's having a great time with the occasional disturbance of his nostalgia not mixing well with his to-be wife (who's played by Rachel McAdams). Allen keeps Adams and Wilson focused and delivering interesting nuances for a while, and then they meet two old friends who end up shaking everything up. Turns out, one of the friends is a quasi-intellectual, and likes to spew endless amounts of bullshit out of his mouth about Paris, turning it into a tour guide rather than a romanticized vision like Gil. Gil, annoyed, takes off one day to clear his head on a walk. The clock chimes midnight, and an old car comes up. Gil is beckoned in, ends up at a party, and finds himself in 1920's Paris talking to Scott Fitzgerald, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, and a barrage of other famous people. The way that Gil slowly works through his nostalgia is fascinating, and Wilson is great in the role. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is always subtly funny, and really a great film for quasi-intellectuals and fans of Allen's great PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO. It's not a technically fantastic film, but a small gem within Allen's repertoire.
Midnight in Paris: ★★★1/2