15 June 2011

Minuit à Paris/Midnight in Paris


Minuit à Paris/Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen circles around a couple - Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) coming to Paris, searching their 'perfect life' and not least creativity, both in the relationship and concerning the husband, an author-to-be.
The latter wants to become a 'real' writer, not only writing for Hollywood, as is the case.

The parents of Inez is also in Paris and soon Gil and Inez meets another couple - Paul (Michael Sheen) and Carol (Nina Arianda) - people Inez has known since years. Paul and Inez had a crush when at high school and Paul is a real besserwisser, making everyone around him disgusted, not least Gil. Inez and Carol are however impressed.
In order to escape Paul and Carol, Gil goes on a stroll at night, when Paris is as most magic and magic it's going to be, not least when Gil is picked up by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) and
Zelda (Alison Pill) with the same surname.
They take Gil to a party where all the great artists during the 1920's are gathered and through them Gil gets to meet a young, beautiful woman with whom he starts talking and later on meet again.
She - on the other hand - is yearning back to the Paris of the 1890's but that's another story.

As always there are many different references to other films and literary works, being interesting for a cine- and bibliophile.

Unfortunately Owen Wilson is to much 'copying' the acting of Woody Allen but this has been the case the last years when Allen himself has not acted in his films. Either this is due to the actors wish to become as neurotic as Allen himself or the latters directing or both.
On the whole a rather lovable film about our yearning for Paradise Lost and - as in this case - the ideal Paris, if it has existed.
The grass always seems greener on the other side, both in a landscape or a town and in a relationship but is it really?

Among the two (or three) options of Paris, Aurore preferred the 1890's and I the 1920's.

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