Midnight in Paris (2011)

A delightful dose of wonderfully imaginative nostalgia. Woody Allen makes it look effortless. Owen Wilson plays Gil Pender, a Hollywood script writer who is working on his first novel which is about a man who works at a nostalgia shop. Wilson seems like he would have been an odd choice, he is known for his outgoing, charming roles in silly rom-coms, but here brings his irresistible charm to a more serious and completely un-formulaic film. His performance isn't going to steal your heart and won't win any awards, but it is still a good, satisfying lead performance by an actor who should show off his real talents more often. Gil and his fiancé, played by Rachel McAdams, travel to Paris for business reasons and to prepare for their wedding. One night while wandering the streets of Paris, at the stroke of midnight Gil is swept away by an early 20th century can and thrown right in the midst of his dream decade, the 20s, in a Paris inhabited by the great literary and artistic minds. He befriends Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and is smitten by Parisian beauty Adriana who just happens to be having an affair with Pablo Picasso. Marion Cotillard plays Adriana, a classical beauty who puts all other women to shame. Her performance is the depth of this film, she is a lover who is trampled on by love, her fragile personality is adorable. At midnight each night, Gil spends as much time as possible indulging himself in all the gloriousness of the 20s only to return to the present the next day. As his trips to the 20s become more frequent he begins to let it effect his normal life which causes him and his fiancé to begin to drift apart. But as his meets an endless supply of early 20th century culture figures that also includes Salvador Dali - played hilariously by Adrien Brody - he also begins to learn from their views and outlooks on life. The way the film comes together is a bit abrupt, but nothing that should bother anyone. Through Adriana, Gil sees a lot of himself, dissatisfaction with the time periods they were born in and trying to live in other time periods to escape those dissatisfactions, and he comes to understand that no time period is the best, all are great for reasons of their own. Not once does this film stop being an absolute joy to watch and you can see Allen having such fun with his idea. This film may not be that emotionally deep, but it wants nothing more than to be clever, original, and entertaining and Allen is all of that. Not to say that there isn't depth here. A nostalgic exploring story crafted gracefully with easily the best script of the year that mixes historical personalties, time periods, and creates colorful characters all at once. Woody Allen is at yet another peak in his work.