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Midnight In Paris - 4/10/2011 5:59:48 PM   
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Not A Review - 4/10/2011 5:59:48 PM   
elnashai

 

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He actually pitches "Exterminating Angel" not "Discreet Charm".

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The grass is greener... - 5/10/2011 4:32:18 PM   
Der Schnuck

 

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 I wasn't so much charmed by the film as somewhat bored by it. It wasn't bad by a long shot, but Owen Wilson is a limp fish and the various Americans too awful to be taken seriously.
The sets and costumes are superb, as is the cinematography, but I felt a bit let down at the end of the day, I much preferred Vicky Christina Barcelona to Woody Allen's newest offering.

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- 8/10/2011 1:48:17 AM   
Guinevere6

 

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Utterly charming film with wonderful acting by all concerned. A must see for Allen fans and those in want of a nice evening at the cinema

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Goodnight Sweetheart, - 11/10/2011 8:12:59 PM   
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Unfortunately, I liked everything about this film except the story. Incredible scenery, music, costumes, the mood and wit throughout the whole film was exactly what I came to see. Sadly the story I was being told was bland and boring.

Also I felt it kind of weak how every single character in 2010-paris was an absolute nob-head. Forcing you to like 1920's paris along with owen wilson.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 13/10/2011 11:09:19 AM   
ChudMonkey


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 Saw this last night and thought it was a lovely little film full of warmth, charm and wit. Hadn't read a review, seen a trailer or read a synopsis before hand and, to be honest, wasn't expecting much as many of Allen's latter day films have been disappointing (Match Point has to be the worst film I've ever seen), but I was utterly engrossed from start to finish....utterly shocked when I realised it was a time-travel movie!

4 out of 5

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 13/10/2011 12:09:15 PM   
thetruth


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Hey,i love Match Point!

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 13/10/2011 12:40:57 PM   
rick_7


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 *SPOILERS FOR MIDNIGHT IN PARIS AND THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO*
Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011) - He did it! He finally did it! Woody made a good film again! I actually want to give him a little hug. What a sweet, gentle, funny, winning, interesting, relevant, piquant, magical and thoughtful little film this is. Just as The Purple Rose of Cairo was a film that chose reality - for all its flaws - over fantasy, so this nostalgia trip has a few smart little observations to make about living in the past. Owen Wilson, typically excellent, is a Hollywood hack and aspiring novelist who travels to Paris with his shallow fiancee (Rachel McAdams). It's nice enough, but the city of which he fantasises is the Paris of the '20s - of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso and Dali. And out for a stroll one evening, that's exactly where he ends up, wandering into the past, where he converses with long-dead legends and sparks with artists' muse Marion Cotillard. There's the odd dry spot or antique celeb cameo too many, but this is still the best thing Woody has done since Anything Else - and arguably since since Sweet and Lowdown. Added to which, Adrien Brody is a superb Dali. "Rhinoceros." (3.5 out of 4)

I realise this is more of a love letter/diary entry than a conventional review, but once again we live in a world where Woody Allen makes movies that we can look forward to, rather than just go to see out of some sense of duty or gratitude for accomplishments past. That's made my month.

< Message edited by rick_7 -- 13/10/2011 3:35:49 PM >

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 14/10/2011 12:34:20 PM   
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 @thetruth - haha really!? To each their own, but I think you might be the first person I know that does!

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 14/10/2011 12:39:33 PM   
rick_7


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quote:

ORIGINAL: ChudMonkey

@thetruth - haha really!? To each their own, but I think you might be the first person I know that does!

It's my older brother's least favourite film of all time. Doesn't Woody think it's one of his best movies? I wonder if that's in the same way John Ford used to pretend that he was most proud of Arrowsmith, to annoy Peter Bogdanovich during interviews.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 14/10/2011 3:12:03 PM   
Popcorn Required

 

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I think it's best summed up as being whimsical. It's pretty and pretty shallow, but it has charm and that's all I was asking for when I went to see it

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 14/10/2011 5:52:17 PM   
st3veebee


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 Saw this last week. Went in knowing nothing except the location and Owen Wilson was in it. I love me some early Woody Allen but haven't found his later stuff much to shout about.



SPOILERS AHEAD!

Vous êtes averti

LE BON:

-Wilson, while hardly strecthing himself, is perfectly cast in the film as the lost American in love with the idea of Paris.

-The city itself, after the five minute "Parisian tour guide" shots at the beginning, is such a beautiful location its hard not to follow Wilson's character into adoration.

-The casting of the 20's era characters is mostly flawless: Hemingway is suitably bombastic yet charimatic, the fitzgeralds are amusing, Cotillard is always mesmerising and mysterious, Bates is spot on as Stein and Adrian Brody reminds us that he can be brilliant every now and then as the utterly barmy Dali.

-The storyline, once you just accept it, is great fun and serves up some brilliant Allen one liners.

-Nicely paced, the film never stalls or slips.


LE MAUVAIS:

- The characters on the modern side, Wilson, the father and the Parisian girl excluded, are for the most part quite dull. Rachel Adams, in particular, is dreadfully two dimensional.

- As fun and charming as it is: the whole film is hardly very engaging. This can be a fault or a merit depending on point of view of course.




I would advise going into this with as little knowledge of the storyline as possible. Maybe not Allen's best work but Midnight is so charming and easy going its hard not to be dragged along the beautiful streets of Paris along with Wilson. Take it easy and you'll have a blast.


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RE: Goodnight Sweetheart, - 14/10/2011 6:07:45 PM   
GCH

 

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I went with low/ no expectations despite the 4-star rating, and was very pleasantly surprised. Even Owen Wilson didn't want me to eat my socks for entertainment, for once.
If you treat it as a fantasy film rather than anything else, it may help your enjoyment. Just think what it could have been like with all the name-dropping
BTW Nate I've always believed it was Knobhead, not nobhead, although I suppose you could argue that David Cameron is both.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 16/10/2011 4:12:54 PM   
thetruth


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quote:

ORIGINAL: rick_7

quote:

ORIGINAL: ChudMonkey

@thetruth - haha really!? To each their own, but I think you might be the first person I know that does!

It's my older brother's least favourite film of all time. Doesn't Woody think it's one of his best movies? I wonder if that's in the same way John Ford used to pretend that he was most proud of Arrowsmith, to annoy Peter Bogdanovich during interviews.

Now that's very low,using your older brother's opinion!
I demand you all re-watch this immediately!

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 16/10/2011 4:17:30 PM   
thetruth


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I loved this.I knew i would though,with it being Woody Allen in Paris.
The American characters are dire.Wilson just about scrapes some acting credibility onto the screen.
This is a film about Paris,and it is the star,so there is no let down there.The various figures alluded to are given an Americanisation that just about passes off.
Visually it is stunning,and the music is delightful.
4 stars for me.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 17/10/2011 6:36:25 PM   
Groovy Mule

 

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Confirmation, if any was needed, that if this is what we are supposed to get excited about as a Woody Allen film that he truly has lost it.  Better than all of his London films bar Match Point (Allen really does have a tin-ear for how British people speak) but nowhere near the same level as Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Paris is the star of this film and is shot beautifully, capturing the glow of the sun on the particular stone of which Paris is made but that's not enough to make a film.  Owen Wilson is the Allen-surrogate on this occasion as the husband mooching round Paris with his self-absorbed fiancee (Rachel McAdams) and his even more obnoxious soon to be parents-in-law.  If you've travelled with Americans, you will know that this sort exist but that doesn't mean that you want to spend any time at all with them!  McAdams is the saving grace of these scenes, without her natural charm, her character would be so irritating that the film would crumple into a heap.  They are joined by equally irritating characters played by Michael Sheen and a woman who looks like Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington.  With the exception of Wilson, none of these characters are tolerable let alone likeable and whilst there is the odd funny line, these scenes grate rather quickly.

The fantasy sequences have good production design but the writing, which was fluent during the modern scenes, becomes increasingly leaden and clunky.  Famous people from the past who appear in scenes have to introduce themselves as if the audience might be too thick to get the references on their own.  Wilson is resigned to doing the equivalent of walking around a zoo exclaiming Oh look, it's T.S. Elliott! Hemingway!, Stein!, Dali!, Toulouse Lautrec! etc etc. Whilst the characters of Dali and Hemingway get the odd funny line, it is Wilson's relationship with Marion Cotillard's young (unfamous) engenue which is the only engaging part of this storyline.  More of this and less of the rest would be a big improvement.

Reviews coming out of America suggested that this was the big return to form but sadly not.  Wilson and Cotillard are engaging and likeable and their "Before Sunset-alike" wandering through Paris is charming but the film is let down by characters with no redeeming qualities in the modern scenes and too many clunky and self-indulgant historical "cameos" in the 1920s section.  Not the film it could be but if nothing else, a significant improvement of the likes of Scoop! and Cassandra's Dream.

a low 6/10

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- 21/10/2011 3:06:15 PM   
LydiaP


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 I have just watched it, and found it a true return to form, more so than "Vicky Christina Barcelona" seemed to be a couple of years ago. It left me with a warm feeling and the sudden desire to go and live the carrying-a-baguette-while-walking-in-rainy-Paris-cobblestone-streets cliche. I also managed to watch the whole thing, instead of walking out after the first half hour, which is what I did with Allen's last two films, so I'll give it an extra star for that. Last but not least, I loved the acting and think that the stereotype presentation of '20s Paris is precisely what made this film so charming. Not pretending to be something (i.e. a mini-biopic of all those phenomenal people Gil meets during his walks) it is not is probably the best virtue of this film.

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RE: - 26/10/2011 1:48:12 AM   
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 Sweet little film with plenty of great performances from its stellar line up. Its good to see both Woody Allen and Owen Wilson involved in a decent film as they both (especially the latter) have been very so-so of late. Hope they collaborate again in the future. It was also fun name checking all the great artists and writers who pop up during the film, must give credit to Adrian Brody for a great little cameo as Dali. Well worth it. 3.5/5

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RE: RE: - 8/12/2011 2:11:20 PM   
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This is my film of the year thus far. I love Owen Wilson and Woody Allen and they were both in fine form. I just love the relaxed atmosphere of Allens worlds. His vision of romance is still so unique and all rom com writers could do with studying him again, as he just gets it right. All the simple little details that make romance in film fun and interesting.

Adrien Brody was just hilarious as Dali, and he and Wilson have great chemistry. The jazz was great and the women were stunning. His wife, I forget her name, and the girl in the marketplace. It's my film of the year along with The Adjustment Bureau.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 22/12/2011 12:24:39 PM   
estelle

 

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Well, I guess it's too much to say that this is a bad film, but it really depends on how one relates to it. I am a big Woody Allen fan, that is the old good Woody. His quality to be witty and innovative deteriorated ever since.

Thus, I like more, for instance than I like everything he made these last years.

Bottom Line

"The obvious discrepancy between the poor scenario and dialogue and the good work from the all-star-cast which includes, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni, Kathy Bates, Michael Sheen, Léa Seydoux and the big-in-France Gad Elmaleh leaves us wondering: should we call it a day and quit great expectations? Even the clin d'oeuil, trying to imply that every era has its own charm, drawing parallels to the evolution of his oeuvre, is not convincing. Because, in the end of the day, wit, ladies and gentlemen, cannot be compensated and is greatly missed, when not around any longer."

You can read the rest of my thoughts

Of course, one can say that such before and after should not be applicable, but, well, they are, if you see a director's work as a whole.

Edit  personal blog/site links removed - please see other post.


< Message edited by elab49 -- 29/9/2012 11:03:43 PM >

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 2/1/2012 7:04:22 PM   
theEqualiser


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A sumptuous love letter to Paris.Some of the characters from the past are flawed,and almost all the modern ones are horrible,but visually it's delightful!

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Excellent - 3/1/2012 5:39:40 PM   
Turd Ferguson

 

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I am not usually a Woody Allen fan, but I loved this movie. The Americans are portrayed as you might expect, which is slightly unfair but perhaps deserved. Great performances from everyone involved. I loved Brody's cameo as Dali as well. Simply delightful.

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Marion Cotillard ... (sigh) - 5/1/2012 3:44:39 PM   
LazyBones9000

 

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I can't say this was a particularly good or for that matter a bad movie, as the lackadaisical nature of the film makes it feel that very little actually happens. However what swept me away as always was the immense beauty of Marion Cotillard, every movie I have seen of her's seems top be a love-letter to her immense beauty.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 2/2/2012 1:35:09 PM   
m_er


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 8/10 Midnight in Paris: It’s surprisingly entertaining. Fantastic idea, an intellectual fantasy, Woody Allen style. It’s so engaging and it’s very creative. This film’s much more than just a romantic comedy.

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 5/2/2012 4:15:07 PM   
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A bimbo of a film that takes two hours to say 'the grass is always greener...'

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RE: Midnight In Paris - 5/2/2012 10:33:03 PM   
Stillwater


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quote:

ORIGINAL: spamandham

A bimbo of a film that takes two hours to say 'the grass is always greener...'


That seems a bit simplistic a take on it.


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RE: Midnight In Paris - 7/2/2012 10:41:10 PM   
Indio


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Stillwater


quote:

ORIGINAL: spamandham

A bimbo of a film that takes two hours to say 'the grass is always greener...'


That seems a bit simplistic a take on it.



SPOILER WARNING

I thought the whole point of the film was that the grass isn't always greener, which is why Gil left Adriana in the Moulin Rouge, she thought the Belle Epoque was so much greater than the 20s while Gauguin, Degas and Toulouse-Lautrec were romanticising the Renaissance, in other words people are always hankering after the 'good old days' that have never existed.

Personally I enjoyed the film but am a bit non-plussed about people saying it's Allen's best film in years, it's OK but I didn't think it was any better than the likes of Scoop or Vicky Cristina Barcelona.


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- 20/2/2012 10:07:59 PM   
TheGodfather


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 Woody Allen`s most recent film is one of the most original works I`ve seen of him. A love letter to Paris and the rich artistic past of it. It`s a very warm film from wich the love for the arts, literature and film really oozes. Owen wilson gives a great performance as the writer suffering from a writer`s block.
A very fine film, although it was a pity that the ending came so sudden and felt rushed. That left a bit of a nasty aftertaste.

8,3/10

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- 20/2/2012 10:08:00 PM   
TheGodfather


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 Woody Allen`s most recent film is one of the most original works I`ve seen of him. A love letter to Paris and the rich artistic past of it. It`s a very warm film from wich the love for the arts, literature and film really oozes. Owen wilson gives a great performance as the writer suffering from a writer`s block.
A very fine film, although it was a pity that the ending came so sudden and felt rushed. That left a bit of a nasty aftertaste.

8,3/10

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Post #: 29
Good Midniight in Paris - 23/2/2012 10:31:35 PM   
lynnshep


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 Good not great. Funny, light, whimsical. Like the twist about the time travel at the end. Could have used more structure and characters dropped out and in with little development and explanation. But still funny and enjoyable.

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