Not Allen's best film, but far from his worst

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2011)

The film is a big step up from "A Tall Dark Stranger," a Woody film I found one of the most pointless cinematic works I've ever seen. This actually had a plot, some character development and an ending, though an awfully pat one.
Since it is Allen, especially latter day Allen, it is not about subtlety. It starts out with many slow shots of the beauties of Paris (no slums, traffic, etc. included; Allen deals with rich folk in this film). The parents representing insular America are Republicans, put down anything French, express a preference for things American (including wine but with the exception of furniture), and —the film makes a big point about this —spend an evening in Paris going to a forgettable American film (it would have really been funny if it turned out to be a Woody Allen film, but that would have diminished Allen's point about what insular rubes most Americans are).
Allen's decision to make the time travel in the film real, versus imagined, as evidenced in a book, seemed a questionable one to me, but a scene where a private detective ends up way back in time was probably the funniest part of the entire film. Lucky for the film's characters, when they do go back in time no one seems to notice their strange clothes and, more importantly, the restaurants and bars seem to accept money of the future.
The acting is mixed. Owen Wilson is a likable character, though I had a difficult time buying him as a literary expert. He came across as a naive, not-well-traveled county bumpkin the big city, even when supposedly commiserating one-on-one with the likes of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald (each time greeting them with a "Gosh, you're . . ." While he was surprised to meet important historical characters, the idea of him traveling through time seemed almost normal to him. Kurt Fuller is an experienced, talented actor but seemed to be doing the same shtick he does on the TV sit-com "Better With You." Rachel McAdams plays a rather shrewish woman you are not meant to sympathize with any more than with her father. Carla Bruni is okay as a tour guide but obviously was used because she's First Lady of France (iAllen sucking up to the French??).
All in all, a pleasant and diverting film. The ending will surprise few people but that applies to many films. It's not a film whose lessons you will ponder for long after leaving the cinema, but neither should you feel like you wasted your time.