Enchanting but empty

Rating: 5/10 (6 January 2013)

There is no denying Woody Allen's skills as a film maker; after all, the man has won 4 Oscars and been nominated for a further 23. In regard to this, Midnight in Paris does not disappoint, but I cannot help but wonder, is the Academy Award recognition it gained a result of Meryl Streep syndrome (who gets a nomination pretty much every year simply because it is her) rather than the material itself being of worth. Personally, I have to vote for the former.
While Midnight in Paris is indeed visually beautiful with its extensive shots of the city itself, it cannot be helped but to notice that putting so much reliance on the French capital seems to take us away from the actual plot. The rose tinted glasses that American's look through when thinking of Paris is undeniably epitomised throughout this movie as Paris is held up as a beacon of dripping romance - even the brothels seems to have an unwavering charm about them.
There is also a certain intellectual expectation of the viewer that this film requires. If names like Gertrude Stein, Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway mean little to you then a lot of awe factor that this movie carries is likely to fly over your head, leaving you somewhat more confused than interested. There is an undeniable interesting attempt to include various intellectuals of the 'Lost Generation' in jazz age Paris. Yet I would argue that perhaps there is a slight air of arrogance in the little explanation of who these characters are, to those who may not have read the Great Gatsby and be familiar with the tumultuous love affair between writer Scott and his lover Zelda. See what I mean?
Despite this, the intrigue of the mystical city is enough to make anyone fall in love with it. While a bit clichéd and romanticised in places, it is, after all a romance film, so we are to expect these kind of stereotypes. It doesn't pretend to present to us a gritty realism of the cobbled streets of Paris, but a beautiful enchanting one, that is enough to make us all fall in love with the French city. I mean think about, I doubt walking around in the rain would fare as being quite so alluring in real life.