Midnight in Paris

Plot synopsis:
In 2010, Gil Pender, a successful but creatively unfulfilled Hollywood screenwriter, and his fiancée Inez, are in Paris vacationing with Inez's wealthy, conservative parents. Gil is struggling to finish his first novel, centered on a man who works in a nostalgia shop. Inez dismisses his ambition as a romantic daydream, and encourages him to stick with lucrative screenwriting. Gil is considering moving to Paris (which he notes, much to the dismay of his fiancée, is at its most beautiful in the rain). Inez is intent on living in Malibu. By chance, they are joined by Inez's friend Paul, who is described as both pedantic and a pseudo-intellectual, and his wife Carol. Paul speaks with great authority but questionable accuracy on the history and artworks of Paris. Paul contradicts a tour guide at the Musée Rodin, and insists that his knowledge of Rodin's relationships is more accurate than that of the guide. Inez admires him; Gil finds him insufferable.
Gil gets drunk one night when Inez has gone off dancing with Paul and his wife, and becomes lost in the back streets of Paris. At midnight, a 1920s Peugeot Type 176 car draws up beside him, and the passengers, dressed in 1920s clothing, urge him to join them. They go to a party for Jean Cocteau, where he encounters Cole Porter, as well as Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald. Gil realizes (but doesn't draw attention to) that he has been transported back to the 1920s, an era he idolizes. Scott and Zelda, along with Cole and his wife, Linda Lee Porter, go to another bar, Chez Bricktop, where he sees Josephine Baker. At a third bar, Gil meets Juan Belmonte and Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway offers to show Gil's novel to Gertrude Stein, and Gil goes to fetch his manuscript from his hotel. However, as soon as he leaves, he finds he has returned to 2010 and that the bar where the 1920s literati were drinking is now a laundromat.
Gil attempts to bring Inez to the past with him the following night, but she becomes impatient and peevishly returns to the hotel. Just after she leaves, the clock strikes midnight and the same car arrives, this time with Hemingway inside. He takes Gil to meet Stein, who agrees to read his novel and introduces him to Pablo Picasso and his lover Adriana. Adriana and Gil are instantly attracted to each other. Stein reads aloud the novel's first line:
Adriana says that she is hooked by these few lines and has always had a longing for the past, especially the Belle Époque of the late 1800s.
Gil spends each of the next few nights in the past. His late-night wanderings annoy Inez, and arouse the suspicion of her father, who hires a private detective to follow him. Gil spends more and more time with Adriana, who leaves Picasso for a brief dalliance with Hemingway. Gil realizes he is falling in love with her, leaving him in conflict. He confides his predicament to Salvador Dalí, Man Ray and Luis Buñuel, but being surrealists they see nothing strange about his claim to have come from the future, finding it to be perfectly normal. They discuss the impossibility of Gil's relationship with Adriana, and each of the artists envisages a different masterpiece inspired by such an unusual romance. Later on Gil suggests a movie plot to Buñuel - that of Buñuel's own 1962 film The Exterminating Angel - and leaves while Buñuel continues to question the plot idea.
In present-day Paris, while Inez shops for expensive furniture, Gil meets Gabrielle, an antique dealer and fellow admirer of the Lost Generation. He buys a Cole Porter gramophone record, and later finds Adriana's diary from the 1920s at a book stall by the Seine, which reveals that she was in love with him. Reading that she dreamed of receiving a gift of earrings from him and then making love to him, Gil attempts to take a pair of Inez's earrings to give to Adriana, but is thwarted by Inez's early return from a trip.
Gil buys earrings for Adriana. Returning to the past, he finds her at a party and tells Adriana, "I sense there are some complicated feelings you have for me." He takes her for a walk, they kiss, and he gives her the earrings. While she's putting them on, a horse-drawn carriage comes down the street, and a richly-dressed couple inside the carriage invite Gil and Adriana for a ride. The carriage transports the passengers to the Belle Époque, an era Adriana considers Paris's Golden Age. Gil and Adriana go first to Maxim's Paris, then to the Moulin Rouge where they meet Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, and Edgar Degas. Gil asks what they thought the best era was, and the three determine that the greatest era was the Renaissance. The enthralled Adriana is offered a job designing ballet costumes, and proposes to Gil that they stay, but Gil, upon observing that different people long for different "golden ages", has an epiphany, and realizes that despite the allure of nostalgia, any time can eventually become a dull "present", so it's best to embrace your actual present. Adriana however, elects to stay in the 1890s, and they part.
Gil rewrites the first two chapters of his novel and retrieves his draft from Stein, who praises his progress as a writer and tells him that Hemingway likes it, but questions why the main character has not realized that his fiancée (based on Inez) is having an affair with a pedantic character (based on Paul).
Gil returns to 2010 and confronts Inez. She admits to having slept with Paul, but dismisses it as a meaningless fling. Gil breaks up with her and decides to move to Paris. Amid Inez's pique, Gil calmly leaves, after which Inez's father tells her and her mother that he had Gil followed, though the detective has mysteriously disappeared. It is revealed that the detective found himself in the Versailles of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and is last seen fleeing from the agents of the State.
Walking by the Seine at midnight, Gil bumps into Gabrielle and, after it starts to rain, he offers to walk her home and they learn that they share the love of Paris in the rain.

Tags: comedy, boring, fantasy, stupid, whimsical, thought-provoking, magical realism, clever, psychedelic, philosophical, inspiring, romantic, entertaining

Review:
From its overcast skies and reflective streets, showing lovely architectural details and its magnificent landmarks to the superb and lovely recreations of older time periods, one can't help being seduced, charmed, and inspired to find a way to show what a special place, and consequently what a truly magical film this might be.Performances are outstanding all around, with Cotillard once again stealing every second she is on the screen.
Cotillard's muse is the perfect human equivalent, a dazzling and potent woman, who moves from man to man, place to place, time to time, and who surprises us with her own wishes near the end of the story.Wilson inhabits the Allen persona, and he does a very good job, not creating a tired imitation, an annoying cliché that could have ruined the perfect balance of sight, sounds, and insightful dialog, keeping this masterpiece way ahead of the best Allen has offered before.
Unlike many of his leading men, Wilson displays an innocence which allows him and us to see his adventures in a fresh light."Midnight in Paris" is a beautiful display of what movie magic can truly create, a sense of wonder long gone from contemporary cinema; This is a movie that entertains, teaches, and wears each one of its elements, like Paris bewitches us with every light, every facade, and every heartbeat of its music..
Woody Allen's love affair with France, which goes back decades, finds its finality with "Midnight in Paris," the latest of Allen's Parisian brochures, which recently opened at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.
This light comedy may not have some of the heavier messages about adultery and art that previous Allen films have had, but Midnight in Paris is, nonetheless, an enjoyable exercise in allusion to the Lost Generation and artists of the 1920s.Midnight in Paris begins with the same idea of a man, in this case a screenwriter named Gil played by Owen Wilson, searching for connection with the real world.
In comparison to Woody Allen's previous tales of lust and spite, his newest film feels like a dessert rather than a filling entree, yet this is exactly how a good, highbrow summer movie should be.
I'd been meaning to watch Midnight in Paris for ages but, I have to confess, I was put off by the presence of Owen Wilson, who I could not really envisage as the lead in a Woody Allen film.
It wouldn't be a hyperbole to proclaim that everything that Woody Allen learned and gained during his long stint in cinema culminated in form of Midnight in Paris – An ode to the City of Love, and its most celebrated denizens of the past.
During a press conference at Cannes, Woody Allen had said that he wanted to show the city of Paris emotionally, and wanted it to be the way he himself sees it, and he indeed succeeds in fulfilling his dream by bringing the city to life, thanks to his perspicacious eye.Midnight in Paris presents a chapter in the life of a successful but disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter, Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), who yearns to break the shackles of monotony by writing a fiction novel, but is perplexed by his slender prospects as a writer beyond the glamour and razzmatazz of the sequestered world of Hollywood, while he is out on a vacation to the breeding ground of creativity and talent, Paris, and accompanying him are his ravishing fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), and his affluent future in-laws.
Who can dare to overlook Bunuel's decorated oeuvre right from his maiden venture, An Andalusian Dog (1929), which he collaborated with another pioneer Surrealist, Salvador Dali to his surrealistic magnum opuses, The Exterminating Angel (1962), to which Mr. Allen pays a tribute in the movie, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972), which won the Best Foreign Picture Oscar for the year?Woody Allen's inspired direction and inciteful screenplay are well complemented by a very fine ensemble of support cast that includes the likes of Kathy Bates and Adrien Brody.
Allen has another of his surrogates, this time Gil (Owen Wilson),who virtually experiences the past (the twenties) while dealing with the troublesome present.Gil, engaged to marry Inez (Rachel McAdams), is with her and her parents on business in Paris where he hopes to work on his novel while he is still a successful Hollywood writer.
Just one of the Allen signature touches that make him the equal of great European directors such as Rohmer and Godard is opening the film with music that reflects the allure of the twenties, the romance of Paris, and his abiding love for this city: "Si Tu Vois Ma Mere" by Sidney Bechet combines jazz, the clarinet, the twenties, and Allen with a romantic nostalgia.Owen Wilson catches the halting diffidence of the typical Allen persona without slavishly imitating him.
The magic and the realism, both requiring hard work from the protagonist, lead to surprising understanding of human nature, the delusion of nostalgia and Paris, and hope for a present that brings love and inspiration."For all we know, Paris might be the hottest place in the universe." (Gil)It's been at least a decade since I have enjoyed an Allen movie this much..
From the first frame, following the Darius Khondji's camera on such familiar but uniquely beautiful streets, alleys, boulevards and quays of the City of Light, it was hard not to fall in love with Paris and with the film of Allen, his love letter to the most famous city in the world, capital of love and Mecca for writers, artists, musicians and artists to whom Paris gave inspiration during all times and epochs - Belle Époque 1890s, the Golden days of the 1920s, and today, right now...Midnight in Paris is a delightful, kind (yes, this is Woody Allen), light, and charming film, which can be described as A Paris Midnight Magical Movable Feast.
I can confirm that the film theme and the songs that Allen picked up for Midnight in Paris are important, integral component of the film's charm and add to the romantic and joyous feeling that the film brings to the viewers.As always, in Woody Allen's movies, the actors give uniformly good performances.
Owen Wilson is very convincing and likable as Gil, Hollywood's successful screenplay writer who works on a first novel, a protagonist, a much younger, attractive, and funny Woody Allen stand-in.
The First Lady of France, Carla Bruni appeared in a small role of a museum guide.The story itself was so lovely in using the time travel as the plot device and brought so many funny and sharp one-liners, dialogs and scenes as well as the plenty moments of recognizing the beloved literature and art figures of the past, that I sat and smiled happily during the whole film.
The artists too, such as Ernest Hemingway, Salvador Dali, Pablo PIcasso and Man Ray are merely cartoon stereotypes, often spouting quotes from their own work, or commenting on art in that phony-baloney way people in Woody Allen movies are wont to do.
I think Woody Allen is the greatest American screenwriter and director of this age - That if you can call him a director he admittedly does nothing but let the actors free to do their work, which is probably his greatest quality.He's been honing his skills for a long time now and at this point in his life has made countless works of art.
A Paris I never seen on the postcards Images of the City of Lights that makes you feel you are there.The movie goes on unpretentious as Owen Wilson's character and adorable as Marion Cotillard's Adriana.
Woody Allen has done an excellent job in Midnight in Paris (MIP).There are a lot of special features about this movie.
Like Micheal Sheen's character would say: ¨Nostalgia is denial - denial of the painful presentthe name for this denial is Golden Age thinking – the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in.¨ Woody Allen has directed numerous great films and this is one of them that will be remembered nostalgically in years to come.
Gil realizes that he can only travel back in time when the clock strikes midnight, so the adventure begins every night where he meets interesting people like Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo) and his mistress Adriana (Marion Cotillard) who he falls for, and other great artists such as Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody) and Luis Buñuel (Adrien de Van), among others.The true heart of the film relies on Owen Wilson's performance.
Midnight in Paris is just a terrific movie, with a lot of heart, and Woody Allen proves once again that he is a great director and writer.
It seemed like he put all of his attention into crafting the time that Gil (Owen Wilson as the Woody stand-in) travels back to at midnight, and just got sloppy when it came to writing the present day.
Woody Allen directs Owen Wilson, a typical example of a modern American actor, in a movie built on two elements : the magic of the City of Light and the unbelievable spiritual and artistic prosperity of the 20's.
She has seduced writers for centuries, and in "Midnight in Paris" writer/director Woody Allen makes love to her with his camera, in the most poetic of ways.
Played quite convincingly by Owen Wilson (in a surprising and refreshing role that Allen had to re-write for him), Gil is an aspiring novelist who is visiting Paris with his girlfriend (Rachel McAdams) and her parents.
"Midnight in Paris" was a massive disappointment.The film is full of beautiful shots of Paris and perhaps this may distract viewers from the fact that this movie is void of any real meaning whatsoever.The 'story' is about a writer Gil (Owen Wilson) who wants to stay in Paris and write.
This is not anything brilliant, but it is very entertaining, amusing and original; and it its a great time spent at the movies.Midnight In Paris is a surreal and touristic romantic comedy with clever comical gags, a creative story and a beautiful portrayal of the City of Lights.Rating: 3.5/5..
So everyone by now knows the story: Owen Wilson, playing the Woody Allen surrogate, plays a Hollywood writer entranced with the city of Paris during his trip there.
One of them noted that Owen Wilson was a surprisingly excellent choice as the Woody Allen "character"/mouthpiece.After the seductive opening of scenes of Paris (think of the valentine to NYC at the beginning of Manhattan), I found it incredibly jarring to hear what were basically the words and thoughts of a New York Jewish intellectual coming out of a lanky Texan (a problem which was not the case with Larry David in the same role in "Whatever Works").I tried to work with it when I ran into my second big problem with the movie - the fiancé.
Actors and critics alike fall over backwards to praise his work yet i find it all very bland.Midnight in Paris is an odd film about a writer who , while on vacation in Paris with his wife to be, finds a way to go back in time to meet famous artists , writers and musicians and he soon realises that this world is far better than the one he currently lives in.As is any Woody Allen movie , Midnight in Paris is very dialogue orientated , and i have no problem with that but what i don't like is the pretentiousness of it.
Luckily for director Woody Allen it was set in the beautiful Paris which sold the title to me in the first place, I was looking forward too seeing the stunning French backdrop to reminisce on my recent travels...and the horrendous long introduction covered this, and then began the script and the character introduction; In short, the main characters, Gil (Owen Wilson) and the other one...his fiancé i think she was supposed to be (Rachel McAdams) are two people who live in the States and travel to Paris often, despite the obvious and constantly expressed dislike McAdams feels for the place which makes no sense to me at all.
Namely, James Joyce, and note that ALL other writers living in Paris at that time acknowledged Joyce as THE leading writer of that generation.The main actor (character's name is Gil) was like a youthful carbon copy of Woody Allen himself.
"Midnight in Paris" pairs ingenious casting with Allen's usual parade of characters (a neurotic writer, a right-wing Republican ignoramus, and a pedantic know-it-all) and places them in Paris.Woody Allen movies are typically described as a love affair with the city, but this one is just so much more.
"And actually, Paris is the most beautiful in the rain."Probably the most charming and fanciful Woody Allen movies that I've seen, and also one of the most enjoyable.
Owen Wilson is great as a proxy Allen, transported back to the streets of 1920's Paris and looking for his "Golden Age" amongst the famous writers and artists that wafted through the city at that time.
Once the film starts Woody Allen imposes an improbable story with stereotype characters and with a few notable exceptions, it gets stuck in its own cuteness.VERY briefly screenwriter wannabe novelist Gil (Owen Wilson playing Owen Wilson) and his bride to be Inez (Rachel McAdams) are in Paris with Inez' parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy) who in turn are on a business trip.
At midnight, an old car stops and the passengers invite him to go a party and sooner he realizes that he is back to the 20's, where he meets his favorite writers, musicians and artists and lives his dream."Midnight in Paris" is another little masterpiece of Woody Allen, who returns to the genre of fantasy of "The Purple Rose to Cairo" to disclose his alter-ego Gil that falls in love for Paris.
The performances are top-notch, with cameo of great actors and actresses, but I loved Owen Wilson, who is speaking in the same way Woody Allen does, Marion Cotillard and Kathy Bates.
At night, the city comes alive, even in the rain; the movie is shot with such unerring detail and each raindrop seems a work of art symbolizing Gil's various quandaries.I think that Midnight in Paris is one of Allen's finest over the past 20 years, perhaps one of his best ever, and certainly I'm not saying so idly.
I never really thought much of Owen Wilson as an actor, but here - essentially inhabiting the Woody Allen role - he proves to be a charming leading main and much like the film itself, very likable, because even though 'Midnight in Paris' is undeniably clichéd in its portrayal of Paris and the various historical figures, this all adds to the delightful charms of the movie.
Woody Allen, like most directors, has had some moments on pure perfection ("Match Point") and pure garbage ("Shadows and Fog"), but as much as I have the utmost respect for the man, I wouldn't say I am a fan, I just have merely loved a couple of his movies, hated a few others, and there are many I am sure I haven't seen or are somewhat indifferent about.However, "Midnight in Paris," for sure, despite being one of his most commercially successful films ever, is not one of his best works.
Now, one of cinema's smartest directors has made a movie showing the beauty and grace of the city of Paris, with an all-star cast including Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, and Michael Sheen.
A frustrated American writer (Owen Wilson playing a role Allen would have played himself 30 years ago)on his hols in Paris with his obnoxious, materialistic fiancé finds his midnight strolls turning into time travel back to Paris' golden years of the 1920s and the 1880s and along the way meets all manner of artistic and literary greats from Paris' past such as Dali, Scott-Fitzgerald, Hemingway,Metisse etc and in the doing so realises that the past isn't as important as now.
Well up there and surpassing Annie Hall The main protagonist Gil (Owen Wilson) plays his role superbly (as well as the great cast that Woody Allen always seems to find and take from roles you had normally seen them in to roles you would never imagine they could perform)- he essentially has come to Paris with his fiancé and her parents who are as materialistic about life as well as being insincere.
I was certain that Woody Allen's movie 'Zelig' was my all-time favorite film of his...but if so, 'Midnight in Paris' certainly runs a very CLOSE second!.
It is even difficult to describe all the emotions I had after watching it.In this movie directed by Woody Allen, Owen Wilson plays the role of Gil Pender who is an American screenwriter who travels to Paris with his fiancée and her family.
I think this movie is on the fine line between a romantic comedy and an art film with a beauty of color that we can see in most of Woody Allen's movies.I would recommend Midnight in Paris to people who would like to see a peculiar movie with a fantasy world that takes us back to the past.
Escaping his life as a successful and under-demand Hollywood screenwriter, Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) travels with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) to Paris trying to write a novel and make a real contribution to art, only to find himself going back a 100 years of time, to be surrounded by the artists of the "Golden Era".In his 41st movie, director and screenwriter Woody Allen leaves his most common two topics (love and death) aside, to discuss the art and the definition of the artist.
He seems to be able to bring out the best in them.The only setback for some watching this film may be the various real life characters that Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) runs into who were supposedly hanging out in Paris during the 20's.