The magic of nostalgia

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2012)

Summer is all about traveling to distant places. Summer is all about dreaming of and fulfilling all of the greatest desires. It is also a bit about escaping from the every-day reality of a boring life for even a couple of days. Everyone should do so one in a while.
So, what would YOU do if you were able to go to a beautiful place like Paris and discover all of the wonderful and magical attractions that it can offer you?
Place yourself in a position of Gil, a struggling Hollywood writer, who flies to Paris on a business trip, along with his girl Inez and her very annoying parents. He needs some inspiration for his next novel, that is why he wants to take a trip around the city and experience it through all of its poetic magnificence. However, in order to do so he has to somehow get rid of his ignorant girlfriend for a while. And it so happens that on one evening she goes dancing with her friends and Gil is left all alone. He finally gets that quiet and peaceful time that he needed so much. And this is when all the magic happens.
The whole situation seems to get a little out of control - he walks around town and just as the clock bell rings at midnight the whole reality changes. It's like he accidentally found a place that acts as a time machine and transports you back to the magnificent and artistic 1920's.
This is the true beauty of Midnight in Paris. The viewer is able to experience all of the sensations and glamor and bourgeois lifestyle of that era along with Gil and the newly met eccentric woman named Adriana. She introduces him to her extravagant friends, who happen to be the biggest 'stars' in town.
I love the portrayal of all the famous people that resided in Paris in that period of the 20th century. When you think about it, during those prominent times you were able to meet many of the greatest artists in the history of mankind on every single corner of the street. I love all of the witty jokes and remarks that they make during meetings with the protagonist. Finally, I love the fact that they actually seemed like they didn't have any problems back then and simply lived for the pure appreciation of life. Amazing.
One of the best qualities of this film is the wonderful representation of the classic art deco design of various restaurants and bars, that started to flourish on the Parisian cultural scene in the 1920's.
I must say that this is one of the best Woody Allen pictures in years. Apart from many intelligent laughs it addresses one very important message - that all of us sometimes yearn for the times that we didn't live in. It happened to Gil. But it also happened to Adriana, which makes us realize that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. And even though we may think that we don't belong to this particular place and time, we can't be sure if we would be comfortable somewhere else either.
One last remark: I can't say that I'm a fan of Owen Wilson's acting career, but he certainly deserves recognition for his performance here. He fits into the role of this clumsy writer, who is also an excessive dreamer, just perfectly. Great job, Mr. Wilson. You just made the romantic Paris look more magical than ever!