Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen is still a puzzle to me. He has created some of the strangest, most interesting films that are typically appreciated by the critics (the director/writer/actor has 21 Oscar nominations) yet fail at the box office. When it comes to his movies, I either REALLY enjoy it (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) or REALLY hate it (Matchpoint). However, "Midnight in Paris" is the first of his films where I am on the fence. Gil (Owen Wilson) is a screenplay writer on vacation with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her parents in Paris. Gil is attempting to write his first novel (with little support from Inez and her family) and is lacking inspiration. When he goes on a midnight stroll through the streets of Paris, he finds himself transported back to the 1920's era of Paris, where he encounters various American writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, as well as Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), who agrees to review his novel for him. Each night, Gil returns at midnight to relive the magic, and Inez begins to believe he is crazy. He also meets Pablo Picasso, his mistress Adriana (Marion Cotillard) and briefly Salvador Dalí (Adrien Brody). The storyline is immensely intriguing to begin, and any American Literature buff would really appreciate the history, yet as with many of Allen's films, the actors are given a lot of freedom in their characters, and in this case the movie suffers for it. Owen Wilson is slightly less irritating in this film than others, but his performance still wasn't quite as spectacular as it could have been, and I spent much of the film contemplating other actors who could play the role of Gil. The film has many entertaining moments, yet a mediocre leading actor and a rushed and sudden ending left me feeling a bit under-whelmed. Perhaps worth a rental. 6 out of 10 stars.