In his inferior films Woody Allen is still better than most directors--writers at their best. And with "Midnight in Paris" Woody has returned to his nostalgia days of old. A crafty zany time travel romantic comedy. One of his best in the past few years.



What reinforces Woody's work is his ability to take ....in my opinion.....two mediocre actors.....Owen Wilson and Rachael McAdams.....and directs them into perfect characters they play. The story also needs a number of character actors playing 1920 artist, which Woody superbly cast.


Gil (Wilson) an unhappy Hollywood script writer is visiting Paris with his fiancee (McAdams) and her repugnant parents. As a youth his idols were F. Scott Fitzgerald, Earnest Hemingway, etc. Serious writers he wanted to follow. He's fantasizes about what it may have been like writing in 1920 Paris. One night walking the street of Paris for inspiration he taken for a ride in a classic 1920 style auto. Thus Gil enters the world of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cole Porter, TS Eliot, Gertrude Stein (terrific Kathy Bates), and many others.


A wonderful magical film that leaves us with a message of yesterday and today



A-

Jack

Sounds a bit like the reverse of The Rose of Cairo. Thanks for the review, Jack. I don't know if I'll get to the theater but I'll try to see it sooner or later.

Saw it this evening, and I hated it. It just reeked of ... "I'M SMARTER THAN MY AUDIENCE, SO I'M GOING TO NAME DROP EVERYBODY."