Bohemian Wonderland

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2012)

In one way - a very meaningful way - Midnight in Paris is a major triumph. While some films Allen filmed in Europe in recent years - like Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona - felt like beautiful, loving homages to other directors, Midnight in Paris is all Woody Allen. In fact, it's the most personal and introspective work he'd turned out since, probably, Deconstructing Harry. The real Allen feel is all here - not the whimsical sarcasm of Hollywood Ending or Whatever Works, but more the feel of classics like Manhattan and Annie Hall. That in itself is reason enough for fans to run out and watch it.
That's not to say that the film is perfect, though, and to put in in the same class as masterpieces like Manhattan would be a mistake. The fact that it's nominated for an Oscar may give the wrong impression - Midnight in Paris isn't one of Allen's best films, nor is it one of the best films of the year. The biggest flaw of Midnight in Paris is its painful predictability - Allen really tries far too hard to explain to the viewers what he's trying to say, to the extent that the film's Aesop is spoken twice, once in the beginning and again near the end, and none of the subtlety of the films he created in the 70's and 80's in there. It's more easily comparable to crowd-pleasers like The Purple Rose of Cairo - which maybe the reason it did so well. Midnight in Paris makes every attempt to be liked, and it is - by both viewers and critics - but it fails in creating a timeless classic.
There's a lot to like about Midnight in Paris though - obviously the beautiful shots of Paris (including an opening montage that may echo the one in Manhattan, though it's much less effective), and a never-ending series of brilliant performances in small roles - most notable of which is the very brief appearance of Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali. Those small roles unfortunately overshadow the more prominent roles of actors like Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller and Michael Sheen, whose characters are gray and unlikable in comparison - but then, that's part of the point. I was also underwhelmed by the lead himself, though, which is a shame - Owen Wilson does a decent job, but in comparison with his strong performances for Wes Anderson, his character here is so obviously an avatar for Allen himself that I couldn't believe a single word coming out of his mouth.
Midnight in Paris is beautiful, whimsical and very entertaining; it also attempts to be deep and personal, but those elements unfortunately are nearly lost by the lack of subtlety. But it's still a great film, especially for Allen fans but not only for them, one that sits squarely with the B-list of Allen's semi-classics.