Midnight in Paris-Woody Allen

Have you ever dreamed of living in Paris in the 1920s and fraternizing with expats and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein?

Gil Pender does in Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s new film about an amiable Hollywood scriptwriter (Owen Wilson) who tours the City of Lights with his soon-to-be in-laws and snarky, self-centered fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams).

Unfortunately for Gil, Inez’s dictatorial trip-planning mandates overpriced restaurants over sidestreet cafés and hired cars over, heaven forbid, strolling in the rain. Despite Gil’s efforts to salvage the trip and get some inspiration for his novel, J, the pedantic ramblings of her know-it-all friend manage to spoil whatever Parisian charm there is left.

That is, until Gil gets lost one night and, at the stroke of midnight, is picked up by an antique car full of party-goers. Much to Gil’s disbelief (and the viewer’s amusement), the car is a time-traveling portal to the time and place Gil has always dreamed of visiting—1920s Paris. There, he meets a slough of celebrated figures, including the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Cole Porter, Picasso, Salvador Dali and most importantly, Gertrude Stein. At various encounters at Gertrude’s open-all-hours salon, she encourages Gil to express his longing to live in a more “golden” era in his novel and after reading his semi-autobiographical manuscript, helps him to see that Inez (back in the 21st century) has been cheating on him with the pedantic friend all along. She also introduces Gil to the dazzling Adriana (Marion Cotillard).

Clearly, Midnight in Paris is a treasure trove of celebrated figures, but it isn’t just for art history junkies. The plot reads like a bedtime story for adults, particularly in its moments of comically understated time travel and at its endearingly predictable moral climax, where Gil confronts his illusion that life would be better in a different time period. And, for Woody Allen fans, his classic screenplay is a perfect blend of dry humor and exaggeration. Allen paints a broad-brush caricature of wealthy, Southern California and Republican families, and all in good fun—anyone who has ever toured Paris the “wrong” way will certainly get a kick out of his jibes.

A refreshing mix of wit and sentimentality, substance and froth, Midnight in Paris is a real crowd-pleaser. Not to mention an indulgence for those of us who would jump ship to gallivant in a foreign city in a heartbeat.