Artistic dreaming at it's finest

Rating: 9/10 (14 November 2011)

I had heard of this movie a few times, and always told myself I'd watch it eventually. Oddly enough, I ended up seeing it on an airplane to Costa Rica. I didn't know the actual premise, but as it revealed itself, I was engrossed immediately.
Gil (Owen Wilson) is tired of writing meaningless Hollywood screenplays and wants to move to France to pursue his idealistic dream of self and literary discovery. His soon-to-be wife (Rachel McAdams) does not share the same sentiment. But they are in Paris for the time, so Gil attempts to create a sliver of his fantasy by walking the streets of Paris in search of inspiration. He ends up at a street corner at Midnight in Paris, where he gets a ride in a classic 1920's Model-T esque car to a party of intellectuals. Famous intellectuals of the 1920's, namely F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.
I'm a huge fan of this literary era (1920's), so of course I am going to enjoy it. But it is so much more than some kind of time travel movie. The idea that a generation that lived before us was "the time to be living" is felt by every generation, which is revealed in the film wonderfully by Gil's new love interest from his journey, Adriana (played by the always excellent Marion Cotillard). One can relate to that idea, even if they aren't fans of the artistic culture post WWI. It is a very artistic film, and all the acting is top notch in my opinion (by far my favorite Owen Wilson performance, even if he is similar to the characters he's played before, and the portrayal of Hemingway was everything that I could have expected). My favorite Woody Allen film to date, and that is a bold statement.
I recommend it to anyone, but if you have a true appreciation for that period, you will love it as mush as I do without a doubt in my mind.
9/10