It's been five years since Woody Allen ditched his once-beloved New York City and began making what could loosely be called theatrical tourism commercials for various countries around Europe. England, Spain and now France have all partially underwritten the majority of the Oscar-winning filmmaker's last seven films, primarily because Allen is more popular in Europe than the U.S., but also to help showcase the continent to prospective visitors.
Some have been fresh, welcome surprises ( Match Point, Vicky Christina Barcelona), others overly contrived, tired retreads (Scoop, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger). Frankly after six European-set films, I was ready for Woody to immigrate back to New York. That was until I saw his new film Midnight in Paris.
Paris tells the story of Gil Bender ( a better-than-usual Owen Wilson), a successful Hollywood screenwriter on vacation in Paris with his fiance Inez (the always-fetching Rachel McAdams) and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). Gil is writing a novel and wants to ensconce himself in the romance of the Paris literary scene in the 1920s. Inez would rather shop and visit the tourist attractions with also-in-town American friends Paul and Carol (Michael Sheen and Nina Arianda).
One night, after consuming too much wine and not wanting to go out dancing with the others, Gil goes for a walk on the rain-soaked backsteets of Paris and promptly gets lost. At the stroke of midnight, an immaculately maintained 1920s-era automobile pulls up and whisks Gil off to a party underway at a local bar. Everyone there is dressed in full twenties regalia, Cole Porter is playing piano in the back and soon F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston and Allison Pill) are introducing themselves. Skeptical at first, Gil quickly becomes a believer when the Fitzgeralds introduce him to Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll). The two hit it off immediately and soon Gil is asking Hemingway to read his novel. Hemingway declines but says he'll take a copy to Gertrude Stein. Gil leaves the bar to fetch his manuscript and as he turns back to confirm where they'll meet, the bar has been replaced by a contemporary Laundromat.
Of course Gill is right back at the same spot the next night and soon he's hobnobbing with Stein ( a perfect Kathy Bates), Salvador Dali (Adrian Brody), Pablo Picasso and his sexy muse Adriana (Marion Cotillard). It's not long before Gil is falling for the magic of Paris and questioning his future with Inez.
This is Allen's most enchanting and entertaining work in years. The script, the characters, everything seems fresh and full of life. It reminded me of one his best films, 1984's The Purple Rose of Cairo where a character jumps off the silver screen and follows a woman home. That film had a sweet, magical quality and it's marvelously on display here once again.
There certainly are enough enticing locales to call Midnight in Paris a theatrical tourism commercial (it made me want to book a flight as soon as I got home). What elevates it above that is simply a great story in the hands of one of the world's truly great filmmakers. If you're going to make them like this, Woody, you can stay across the pond for a little while longer.
