Love outflanks Nostalgia

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2011)

This was a movie both frivolous and serious – a profound fantasy. You might say a typical Woody Allen movie, but this one is one of his better attempts at serio-romantic comedy. Gil (Owen Wilson) is a Woody Allen avatar as he explores two themes, nostalgia and the meaning of love. Gil, a Hollywood screen writer who hankers to be a novelist is engaged to Inez (Rachel McAdam) but when they go to Paris with her parents Gil starts having doubts, fuelled by contact with various famous literary figures of Paris in the 20's who magically appear to Gil as he walks the streets after midnight. F Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda (Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Cole Porter (Yves Heck), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and numerous others all put in an appearance, most of them surprisingly ready to help Gil with his novel and his love life.
Obviously you have to suspend your disbelief here – but the portrayals of these figures by various actors, though uneven, mostly ring true. Gil may well have been dreaming but he finds that the "golden age" of Paris in the twenties is not necessarily better than today – "nostalgia ain't what it used to be", and that love is what conquers death.
Owen Wilson fits the Woody character like a glove, though Woody is not really a Hollywood hack writer. He is complemented by Marion Cotillard as Adriana, his guide through the twenties, from whom he learns about love.
There is a lot of fun along the way, and some minor characters to keep us entertained such as Paul (Michael Sheen) a know-all friend of the couple and a celebrity museum guide (Carla Bruni – President Sarkozy's spouse). Paris is also a character, photogenic, and presented in strong light for the day bits and warm yellow tones after dark. The film will certainly not discourage tourism there, at least at the deluxe end of the market – the hotels are 5 star and limos are everywhere. The scripts sparkles - Woody seeks to entertain as well as philosophise - and here he succeeds at both.