Not Much Other Than "Cute"

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2013)

Pros: Woody Allen's famously witty and neurotic tendencies are made more human and approachable by Owen Wilson, whose Gil is a very familiar character to the ones he's played in the past and strikes me as a good stepping stone into the world of Allen. I really appreciate the fact that this movie is a statement on this year's Academy Awards, where only one nominee for best picture is firmly grounded in the present. Allen really couldn't have picked a better year to make this into an Academy-worthy film, as its overarching theme serves to incredulously point out the irony of its inclusion in the nominees this year in particular.
Cons: As much as I can appreciate most of Gil's personality, I just can't relate to his unabashed love of the city of Paris. Since I've never been there, I will admit that this might have to do with my deep-seated reactionary attitude toward all things French. But honestly, what's so great about every street, building, sign, and cobblestone in that city? Also, pretty much every character in this movie not named Gil could stand to receive a hearty punch in the face. I probably wouldn't have fared very well in the 1920s, listening to speech patterns like that all the time. Speaking of the 1920s, I felt like I could have stood to know a bit more about that generation of writers, musicians, and artists to really appreciate a good deal of the portrayals and references littered throughout the movie. Although if Hemingway reads like he spoke in this, I'm glad I haven't read his books after all.
Overall: I won't say I disliked watching the movie, and there were a number of moments that made me actually laugh out loud (something I'm not typically wont to do alone in a dark room). However, I spent most of the movie wondering if it would arrive at an eventual point and whether I would care. Ultimately it did wind up with a theme that I believe ought to be quite strenuously stressed with some people, but it wasn't enough to make me think of it as anything other than a "cute" film that really only garners a best picture mention due to this particular year's crop of nominees. After some wrestling with an eight rating, I eventually settled on a 7 out of 10.