Midnight in Paris (2011)

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2012)

Midnight in Paris had so much hoopla surrounding it, that I was wary of approaching it. As someone that enjoys writing myself, the story of a writer could easily connect with me, or it could have annoyed me. Luckily it did the former. Wilson plays a Hollywood screenwriter that wants to work on his novel while in Paris. Unfortunately, and I never thought I'd say this, he is engaged to Rachel McAdams. She has become comfortable with his lifestyle, and doesn't want him to give everything up for something he may struggle with. WHile in Paris they meet up with Michael Sheen, playing a pedantic ass to perfection. I just wanted to cave his head in, and Wilson played off him exactly the way I would have done. Sheen's so called knowledge is the sauce of humour during the early half of the movie, as he gets his facts mixed up. Wilson soon winds up in the 1920's and meets his own literary heroes. Finally feeling appreciated, he spends every evening with his new found friends. This is certainly a film about writing, art, creativity, and being accepted. But it also goes further, looking at how all past is glamorised to a certain degree. This was a lovely film, with my only gripe being McAdams' character. She was simply so unappealing, that I had no idea as to why herself and Wilson were together. There was no chemistry, and not even a hint at anything resembling love. Luckily, such a poor relationship made it easier to accept some of Wilsons' actions. A great lot of co-starring roles are filled out by A-Listers having a lot of fun as classic artists from the past. Midnight in Paris, really is for those that love to walk in the rain.