Time is Right for 'Midnight in Paris'

I am a Woody Allen fan from way back when. I own the DVD of “Annie Hall." I have been on the Woody Allen roller-coaster for the last decade or two: some movies really good, others really bad. “Midnight in Paris” may be the best Woody Allen movie I’ve seen since "Annie Hall."

Much of the film is classic Woody—a love poem to a city. Allen’s early movies all left me wanting to move to Manhattan. This one makes me want to get on a plane and visit the City of Lights. There is also semi-dark witty banter, a cast peppered with big stars (such as Kathy Bates and Adrien Brody) and many over-the-top comedy of error moments that had the whole audience in the packed theater laughing out loud.

Then there are some nice changes. Woody used to star in his movies. But lately, often there is a Woody-like character. In “Anything Else," it was Jason Biggs, who projected an eerily uncanny likeness. In “Whatever Works,” there was Larry David, who, for better or worse, can only play himself. In “Midnight in Paris," there is Owen Wilson, playing a writer who elongates his speech with slight stutter, a Woody trademark, and finds himself in a classic Woody Allen bind. But Wilson’s version of the Allen character is more of a hybrid. He does nail some of the characteristics, but brings with them his own quirky charm. He may just be the most likable Woody Allen character in a Woody Allen film—including those that Woody played himself.

The story revolves around Wilson and his bride-to-be, a shrew played well by Rachel McAdams. They are in Paris with her parents, who are there for an extended business trip. Wilson’s character is tired of being a Hollywood screen-writing hack and longs to dig into finishing his own novel, but fears the loss of the mighty paycheck rewriting bad screenplays delivers. (He also fears his fiancee’s reaction, as she makes it clear she will have none of it.) McAdams’ parents are lukewarm on Wilson as a son-in-law, and so the setup goes.

The unexpected plot turns, which I won’t spoil, are delightful and whimsical. The plot is part "Back to the Future" and part "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure" (for the literary and art history buff). Though it appears satirical, there is an underlying “grass is always greener” theme that is woven so subtly that is leaves you both smiling and thinking.

The film—this most certainly is a film, not a movie—is witty, charming and carries unexpected twists and turns. The ending, while fairly predictable, was still quite satisfying. Run, don’t walk to the theater. See it before you hear too much about it and all the wonderful surprises are spoiled.

The movie is now playing at Owings Mills 17