Library of Dreams

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2011)

Greetings again from the darkness. Not so many years ago, Woody Allen was thought of as the quintessential New York City filmmaker (along with Martin Scorcese). He understood that and even poked fun at himself in his most popular film Annie Hall. At age 75, Mr. Allen remains an incredibly prolific filmmaker cranking out a new script and film every year. With his recent work, he has ventured outside of NYC and into England, Spain and now France. Clearly these new locales have re-energized his creativity.
The script for Midnight in Paris is some of his best writing in years, and he explores our love of nostalgia without sacrificing the customary relationship struggles. While I hold steadfast to my rule of providing no spoilers, a quick glance at the character names gives you all the clues you need to put the basic idea in place.
Owen Wilson plays Gil, a financially successful Hollywood screenwriter who longs to be a serious novelist in the vein of his literary heroes from 1920's Paris. Gil goes on vacation to Paris with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). Of course the parents don't like Gil and it doesn't take long (maybe one scene) for us to figure out that Gil and Inez are misfits as a couple.
In an attempt to escape the yammering of Inez's know-it-all friend played by Michael Sheen, Gil goes wandering the nighttime streets of Paris. What happens next is either science-fiction or the culmination of Gil's dreams. The bell tolls midnight and Gil is whisked away via a classic Peugeot to the world of literary giants he so worships.
Half the fun as a viewer in this one is staying alert to pick up the clues to the references: Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Juan Belmonte, Alice B Toklas, Djuna Barnes, TS Eliot, Matisse, Leo Stein, Toulouse-Lautrec, Gaugin, Degas, Cole Porter and Picasso. Kathy Bates spikes the film with her lively turn as Gertrude Stein. Corey Stoll makes a ferociously direct Ernest Hemingway. Adrien Brody offers up a slightly off-center Salvador Dali - good for a laugh.
This movie plays kind of like an all-star game. A chance to see all the names and players that you have heard about ... all under one roof. For film lovers, there is a great little exchange between Owen Wilson's character and Luis Bunuel. Woody has created a 90 minute tribute to all of us (like Gil) who have yearned to work with and live among the artistic giants. I would love to see Mr. Allen's notes as he put this idea together. We can only imagine what didn't make the film! Despite all the fun of inside jokes, the romantic idea of nostalgia and wishing for a better time is discussed and analyzed. Mr. Allen tells us that EVERYONE, no matter their era, has a romantic vision of some previous time which they believe would better suit their style and creative force. The story is balanced by having Gil's novel based in a nostalgia store, and he ends up meeting an intriguing young lady (Lea Seydoux) at a Paris store that sells old records and books.
As always, Mr. Allen has beautiful music accompanying his words and scenes. This time we are also treated to some breathtaking images of Paris, the Seine, and wonderful works of art (Rodin, Picasso, etc). Of course casting Carla Bruni, wife to the President of France (Nicolas Sarkozy) might have entitled him to film in settings we don't often see in movies. One gets the impression that this one was quite a bit of fun for Woody to assemble. If you enjoy art or literary history, you too will find this to be one jolly easter egg hunt!