Disappointing

Rating: 4/10 (2 February 2013)

Although Midnight in Paris won an Oscar and most of the critics' hearts, it is a tedious mountain of clichÃ©s, which could only be a testament to Hollywood's marketing success.
Allen's age is showing itself; the plot is slow-paced and dull. The film opens with the everlasting cinematography of Darius Khondji, which reminded of Allen's film back in 1979: Manhattan. After that, we see Owen Wilson starring as Gil, personating Allen; a foolishly naive and utterly lost writer, engaged to a spoiled shrew; Inez (Rachel McAdams). Gil is a fan-boy, who is obsessed with Paris in its glorious times and the celebrities living in that era, possibly due to living amongst intolerably arrogant people. Later on, Gil miraculously finds himself in that golden age, where you can't even drink a beer without bumping into Hemingway. He meets several reputable writers and artists, thanks to meaningless hospitality of the people of those times. Instead of using this lifetime opportunity for inspiration and success, he chooses partying and womanizing in the clumsiest way. What we get is a straightforward Hollywood flicker about an American man, hanging out with Americans in Paris.
The characterization is another disappointment. Each individual is one- dimensional, and therefore overemphasized. They immediately split into two groups; good or evil. The relationships between characters are also baloney. Gil's engagement is absurd; when he tries to find something common between them, the only thing he can think of is Indian food. Moreover, the celebrities that Gil meets seem to jump out of Wikipedia; jabbering cheesy quotes, and nothing more. Allen's choice of not showing anything related to these talented people's creativity, influence or hard work is an absolute shame. All these elements are probably supposed to be ironic and humorous, but they rather make the film shallow and cartoony.
From the technical aspect, Midnight in Paris tries to justify its fame. Except the nostalgic-colored tint used everywhere in the film, the shooting is gratifying. The transitions are fairly well. The photography is pleasant with alluring scenes of Paris. Music is the greatest factor of the film, which makes it bearable. However, these are definitely insufficient to defeat the lackluster atmosphere of the film. Allen wastes time by showing unnecessarily long scenes; he seems to have a hard time even in a 94 minute film.
Midnight in Paris is about a juvenile man, who cannot cope with 21st century's dominant personas, whose only passion is walking in the rain. Even for fans of Allen, there are better alternatives. If you want to see a true Parisian film with genuine love and wit, watch AmÃ©lie instead.