Movie Review: Midnight in Paris [SPOILERS]

Image found here.

Yes, I finally got around to seeing Midnight in Paris. I enjoy most Woody Allen films (I know he's not for everyone), and this one was no exception. For one, it's a beautiful picture. You could watch it with the sound off and you could still love it. Woody Allen said that he always uses "warm" tones for his cinematography, and you really do get a warm feel for all of the colors. And I love the cast! Owen Wilson is always funny, and Rachel McAdams is so gorgeous (she's my second celebrity girl crush, a close second to Blake Lively). I could definitely watch this movie again (and again...).

Yep, that about sums it up. Collage found here.

So the plot goes like this:

The characters played by Wilson and McAdams are engaged, and they are in Paris with her parents. She wants to meet up with her friends Paul and Carol, while he would rather not (Paul, played by Michael Sheen, is a "pedantic" know-it-all mousy-man who clearly has a crush on McAdams' character). So one night when Wilson is alone (at midnight in Paris), an old car drives by and he gets in. He is transported to the roaring 1920's, his idea of the Golden Age (PS: I must never have seen a real preview for this movie, because I had no idea about the time travel part!). He meets Ernest Hemingway and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (I found Alison Pill, who plays the wife of the Great Gatsby author, to be quite annoying with her chubby cheeks and fake Southern accent); since Wilson's character is trying to write a book, he is completely taken with these famous writers. Then for the rest of his trip in Paris, each night he goes back in time. Later he meets Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, etc.! He also falls in love with a girl from the 20's (When he's back in the present he actually finds a book or diary written by this woman, and practically has his future read to him!). He ends up breaking up with McAdams (She is so mean and condescending! She doesn't support his dream of writing, and she's having an affair with Paul anyway.), and though he can't be with the girl from the 20's, he does find love with a modern day Parisian who appreciates the city in the rain as much as he does.

This is a really fun movie! But there were a couple of things that weren't my cup of tea:

1. The long instrumental intro. It lasted forever! We get that Paris is a beautiful city, but we just need to see the biggies: the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées (leading up to the Arc), the Louvre, and the Seine River. I appreciate the homage paid to the "City of Lights" (I visited when I was 13), but it just went on a little too long for my taste.

2. McAdams' wardrobe. Why did she almost exclusively wear belted dresses/tunics? Don't get me wrong: she looks great (she would look beautiful in a brown paper bag). But how about some variety? Her character grew up quite wealthy: you know she has lots of clothes, and a good mix of them, too!

I didn't even have to create this collage. Someone beat me to it! Collage found here.

3. The beach cover-up. Or at least that's what I call this dress. I don't care for the drop waist dresses of the 1920's, but at least most of them were quite amazing! This one...Not so much.

Image found here.

 But I did like the other fashions Adriana (played by Marion Cotillard) wore:

Notice the glamorous but deadly cigarette. (Images found here and here).

At the press conference for the film in Cannes, Woody Allen said, "Hire great people and let them do what they do...Then when they're great, take credit for it. I've done this for many years and it works like a charm." So funny! Five Stars!