Midnight in Paris

Owen Wilson stars as Gil in Woody Allen's latest about a writer on a pre-wedding trip with his fiancee Inez (Rachel McAdams). Gil would have loved to have lived in Paris in the 1920s, but would settle for moving to Paris now. Inez has other plans though - a spoilt woman living in the upper realms of the social ladder, she has difficulty understanding why Gil would want to leave "glamourous" LA behind.

One night after leaving Inez with her dancing friends, Gil wanders around Paris and finds a bit of a wormhole that takes him back in time to Paris in the 1920s. "Then" he meets famous writers and other art figures he's only read about such as Hemingway and Dali, as well as the lovely Adriana - all who inspire his novel in progress and cause him to reconsider his life back in the present day and his pending marriage.

As soon as the film opens with a montage of Paris through time and season, we are caught into the magic of the city, its dreaminess and promises of more.  Woody Allen does a great job in blending past and present seamlessly as we follow Gil through his days. McAdams does a great job as Gil's fiancee, irritating us that we look forward to as much as Gil does in roaming the streets of Paris, escaping to another place and time.  With the strong support of art direction and soundtrack as well as talented supporting cast, Midnight in Paris not only transports you into the film and the city, but also makes you wish you could hop on a plane right away and get lost happily in Parisian boulevards.

4.5/5