Midnight in Paris

If you want to forget about reality for a couple hours and be entertained in the process, go see Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

I, unfortunately, have not seen nearly as many of Allen's films as I would like to, especially the classics from his early career. But, I have been a loyal viewer since Match Point, minus last year's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger. (It's on the list). There's something to be said for that since the only films you can really compare to Allen's are his own.

Allen has mastered his craft so much that the titles in his library seem to be first described just by the fact that he made them, then their genre and cast.

And, there is always a little bit of his own persona or life in the story and characters, even if it's a film where he's not in the cast.

In Midnight in Paris, Allen creates a character who feels out of place in the modern world and would rather have lived in the 1920s in Paris. Gil, played by a surprisingly likable Owen Wilson, is a screenwriter from Hollywood trying to draft his first novel. What he needs is inspiration and critique from the greats like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein, a plot line that takes the viewer away into another world and time.
I didn't even know that much about the story when I went to see the film, which actually added to the fantasy of it all. The cast certainly did its part to help with that as well.
In addition to Wilson, Allen cast Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates and Marion Cotillard in the film. Put together, the actors, script, music, and most of all the cinematic views of Paris Allen provides create a wonderful trip into the story for the viewer.
I can find something I like in just about every film I watch because I appreciate the art form so much and admire anyone with the ability to do it. Midnight in Paris, and the work of Allen I have seen, are especially a source of my admiration. He stays true to what he wants to do with a film whether audiences and critics like it or not.

Maybe I'm still lost in the fantasy and nostalgia of Midnight in Paris, but I'm inspired now to travel back in time and discover more of Allen's stories and cinematic work. If you're looking to start the same movie-watching feat, at least try to see Midnight in Paris while it's in theaters. In the film Gil says, "There is no city like this in the world."

There is no film like this in the world, either.