Although I notably haven’t seen all too many Woody Allen movies, I have always enjoyed his films. Midnight in Paris is his 2011 offering and stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. Owen Wilson is really the protagonist of the film. He plays Gil, a successful Hollywood who is struggling with his first novel. He travels to Paris with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and falls in love with the romanticism of the city. Unfortunately his fiancé seems to be more wrapped up in materialistic ventures rather than taking a moonlit stroll down the parisian streets. One night when Gil takes a midnight stroll, he finds the inspiration he’s been looking for, however it seems to be taking his further and further away from his fiancé.
The romanticism of this movie is evident. It almost seems as if Allen penned a love story to Paris. The cinematography is beautiful and the story is whimsical but has a lot of heart. I’ve found this to be an interesting role for McAdams, one where she plays someone so realistically unlikable. Caught up in the Hollywood glamour of materialism rather than experiencing a city through the little things. Although I was a bit hesitant on Owen Wilson as the lead, he proved to be worthy. As a viewer I truly believed he was experiencing Paris for the first time and was desperately attempting to soak the city in while at the same time trying to find direction for both his novel and his personal life.
While this isn’t an epic love story between a man or a women, nor is it a film that will leave your head spinning for hours trying to understand it. This is a love story between a man and a city and will leave you smiling at the end.
B is for Beau 