If you love Paris, the film is worth it for the opening montage alone

Rating: 8/10 (24 June 2011)

While I've caught most of Woody's last few films on NetFlix (I think the last one I saw in the theater was Match Point), I wanted to make sure to see Midnight in Paris on the big screen for the full effect. I was not disappointed -- I had tears streaming down my cheeks within the first two minutes, feeling as if I'd been transported to beautiful Paris for a couple of hours.
I think this is a fine film, and it was certainly entertaining -- with a core message that I can understand and relate to. When you've seen most of Woody's films over the years, you immediately recognize the character "types" reappearing in slightly different situations with other actors in the rolls. That's a double-edged sword in that there's something familiar about the ebb and flow of his films, but it can also be somewhat trite and annoying. Fortunately, that didn't seem to bother me as much in this film because the historical characters helped to draw some attention away from the more formulaic ones, and really added a lot of spice.
I don't think this is one of Woody's top five films, but it's certainly the best (and only) 2011 summer release I'm planning on seeing . . . it's slim pickings in the theater these days for people with a brain.