Mightnight In Paris - Escape to the Golden Age

There was a lot of talk amongst movie buffs whether Woody Allen was all but done for. His few films prior to this release, although watchable, did not retain Allen's usual high level of praise from critics. Had the old master of the neurotic comedy slipped away?

Apparently not, as demonstrated with his film Midnight in Paris, in which Owen Wilson plays Gil--a Woody Allen type punching-bag and frequent victim of his narrow-minded wife and her wealthy and conservative family.

Gil pines for a simpler time, where intellectuals were cherished and not mocked, specifically Paris in the 1920's. A time where his literary icons lived and breathed, including: Hemingway, T.S Eliot, Fitzgerald, Picasso, and many others geniuses that had taken up residence in Paris at the time.

Gil's longing is reduced to a personal failure to accept the present, or "Golden Age Syndrome" by his wife. There is a constant dilemma throughout the film questioning this denouncement of the present, that no era is better then another and that the present is where we belong.

In Midnight in Paris, Gil becomes entranced with Paris, and finds himself among the great artists of the 1920's. The present becomes boring and redundant to him, nothing compared to the roaring artistic movement of the past. He is conflicted about his fiancé and her family, and the life of a modern L.A bound script writer.

This is by far one of Woody Allen's greatest films. An engrossing tale of alienation and artistic yearning. The legendary artists of the past are vividly brought to life by an amazing cast. The city of Paris is clearly the star of the film, confirming Gil's suspicions that modern life isn't so great.

Midnight in Paris is a very enjoyable film for any literary buff as well as someone who is looking for a good family-friendly film with interesting characters.  It's also a bit educational, and Owen Wilson is funny and mixes well with the eccentric cast.

Trailer

My Rating: 7.0