A man returns to the 1920s in Paris...and I want to return the Blu-ray

Rating: 2/10 (30 April 2012)

Midnight in Paris is one of the only movies lucky enough to be rented out by me and not returned with an expected refund...in respect for this supposedly good title I merely stopped the DVD less than an hour in, ejected it and placed it calmly back into its case. Now I understand the concept of the film, it's quite a cool concept, however apart from it already being unbelievable, as most movies are, making it believable should have been the director's primary aim, unfortunately it undoubtedly was and yet I didn't see it.
Luckily for director Woody Allen it was set in the beautiful Paris which sold the title to me in the first place, I was looking forward too seeing the stunning French backdrop to reminisce on my recent travels...and the horrendous long introduction covered this, and then began the script and the character introduction;
In short, the main characters, Gil (Owen Wilson) and the other one...his fiancé i think she was supposed to be (Rachel McAdams) are two people who live in the States and travel to Paris often, despite the obvious and constantly expressed dislike McAdams feels for the place which makes no sense to me at all. Gil, a script writer and keen novelist adores the city however and has a love for writing, art and the 1920s. So he often goes off without his fiancé which is the most believable part of the whole film as I do not understand how anyone would want to be around her, and at midnight every night he finds himself back into the 20s era spending time with Hemingway, Picasso and a bunch of other famous people he admires. Blah blah blah whats-her-name doesn't believe him but he keeps going back to get his novel proof read by some woman that's played by Cathy Bates of course and he finds out history's secrets and has a near affair with some chick who's with Picasso, whom we liked because she wasn't a winy brat like the other chick...OK, I didn't like her, much less whatever the wardrobe department kept dressing her in which included some horrific belts...never mind it was awful but um tangent city....
Now, not that I continued watching once I discovered the story had no peaks or troughs, just a monotone that started at the bottom and stayed there, I realized that for the type of movie it was, it had the worst possible casting. Clearly the famous names and setting for the film were its only selling point; however had they been unknown actors it would have been far better in my opinion...Wilson is a funny guy...and always the same funny guy, he was so not needed here, and McAdam's was just there to look pretty, but her character's attitude didn't suit her and i feel sorry for her that she thought she had to star in this.
All I really remember from this experience was turning to my boyfriend and sincerely apologizing for my choice of movie for which I begged but that's it! I have no idea what happened at the end of the film, or in the middle...but if anyone has the strength to find out it'd be nice to know if it actually ever went anywhere. Also, if you can stand the stupid (sorry) script, the uncomfortably annoying relationship between the main characters and Rachel's outfits then I commend you..but if you truly love Paris, maybe just watch the film on mute because it doesn't have much else going for it.
C'est Fini.