Midnight in Paris

 

Midnight in Paris is a really beautiful film where Gil, portrayed by Owen Wilson and his fiancee played by Rachel McAdams are vacationing in Paris. To escape from the trip, Gil goes on late-night walks alone in the city where he somehow travels back in time to talk to cultural/historical figures. He goes back every night to meet famous figures like Zelda (Alison Pill) and F Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). After experiencing life in their shoes, Gil longs to live in the past over his current life in the 2010s. 




I am in love with the concept of this film, I just think the execution could have been better. It was very slow and honestly boring. I kind of expected this though given it was a Woody Allen film. The film feels very similar to that of A Rainy Day in New York. This is another Woody Allen film that I really liked but it too is very slow. They are good films just very old school, they kind of feel like high-budget indie films. The stylistic approach to this film is really unique but Woody Allen has done it to death. You can always tell when you are watching one of his movies because of his distinct style, I just find his movies to be slow and of the past. I did debate watching this film for a long time because I really strongly dislike Woody Allen for personal reasons and everything he has done to his family. I don’t want to go into too much detail to keep this about the film but honestly, it does have an impact on my views of the film and his other works




I love the casting of this film, a lot of great actors and talent in this film. Owen Wilson is one of my all-time favourite actors and Rachel Mcadams is also great in this film (Canadian woo!). It’s cool to see them do a film together and I liked seeing Tom Hiddleston as Scott Fitsgerald, it’s an interesting role for him and I think he did a really good job. A character that stood out to me was Alison Pill as Zelda, I haven’t seen her in anything before and she was just really great in this. All amazing actors and really helped bring life to this film that is otherwise pretty slow. 




Overall, I found the pacing of the film really takes away from the story. The concept is great, but there is little to no plot or arch to the story. It just kind of happens and ends. In comparison to A Rainy Day in New York, it’s a very similar premise and message. All about escapism, and wanting more than what you have. In both films, the main couple at the beginning of the film splits up by the end and the male character ends up with someone else who is obviously more “right” for him. They even end the same with the couple kissing in the rain at the end of the film. The rest of the film is such a cool concept and is so unique, it just was not executed to its fullest potential. I still recommend watching it just because it’s interesting, especially if you have an interest in older classic art and literature.