Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Midnight in Paris’: Woody Allen’s Second-to-Last Magnificent Film

Michael Clark
Updated:
PG-13 | 1h 34min | DramaComedy, Fantasy, Romance | 20 May 2011 (USA)

Whether hating or feeling indifferent about Woody Allen, even the most casual movie fan can’t deny or marginalize his immense influence on his peers. Next to or just slightly below Martin Scorsese, he is America’s greatest living filmmaker, but has forever been hampered by a huge, self-inflicted detriment. Allen makes too many movies and repeats himself far too often.

Even though the bulk of Allen’s 20th-century output has been misfires, he never goes longer than five years or so without delivering us an absolute gem. Since he ventured beyond his comfortable New York home turf, Allen has achieved greatness only three times. The London-based “Match Point” from 2005 was one; “Midnight in Paris” is another and the third is mentioned below.

The Greatest Appeal of His Best Works

Allen is never going to appeal to the masses, although “Midnight” is his most audience-friendly effort and, with over $151 million worldwide, the biggest box office hit of his entire career. As great as “Match Point” was, it was also a seedy murder mystery with a downbeat ending, not something mainstreamers usually crave.

“Midnight” is a straight-forward comedy with a good deal of fantasy and is romantic as well but never in the traditional way. It’s a mash-up movie that takes its entire length to become completely clear with its message. Allen hadn’t been this original in a very long time.

Since he (wisely) stopped being his own leading man, Allen has pegged many worthy actors to perform as his mouthpiece, yet few have been as effective at it as Owen Wilson is here. In addition to not being the typical nebbish, neurotic Allen stand-in, Wilson is also not regarded by many as an actor with great range. He’s not the kind of guy that comes to mind when one imagines subtlety or finesse; he’s an actor that is called on when a party dude or a voice-over for an animated car is needed.

Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams), in "Midnight in Paris." (Sony Pictures Classics)
Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams), in "Midnight in Paris." Sony Pictures Classics

We meet successful screenwriter Gil (Wilson) and his gorgeous fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) at the beginning of what appears to be an extended Parisian vacation. Gil should be a very happy guy, but he’s not. He and Inez are traveling with her shallow, materialistic parents and both consider Gil to be a fanciful dreamer and not a great fit for their precious daughter. Inez is the apple of their eye (and one that hasn’t fallen far from the tree) and seems more interested in Gil’s Hollywood connections than in him.

It’s probably a safe bet that Allen watched or was made aware of the bawdy comedy “Wedding Crashers” where Wilson and McAdams played quite different opposing love interests.

A Great Cast

Even though his future in-laws, Inez, and her know-it-all college friend (Michael Sheen) are seriously depleting Gil’s mojo, he is able to recharge on a nightly basis by strolling around the city and soaking up its artsy good vibes and bohemian attitude.
A mysterious character (Tom Hiddleston) meets Gil (Owen Wilson). in "Midnight in Paris." (Sony Pictures Classics)
A mysterious character (Tom Hiddleston) meets Gil (Owen Wilson). in "Midnight in Paris." Sony Pictures Classics

Gil’s fascination with Paris is rooted in what he and others refer to as the “Golden Age” of literature, which started there in the 1920s. He would love nothing more than to ditch Hollywood for good, move to Paris, and write Important Novels.

During one of his midnight strolls, Gil meets the mysterious Adriana (Marion Cotillard), a woman who shares many of his views on art and writing but not his assertion that 1920s Paris was the hot bed of creativity. Her own “Golden Age” throws both Gil and the audience for a loop.

In a rare showing of restraint, the studio (Sony Pictures Classics), likely with considerable input from Allen, issued a trailer that went out of its way to not steal the movie’s thunder by revealing its major, mind-blowing plot twist.

As with all of his great films, Allen populates “Midnight” with a slew of top-notch famous and not-so-famous (at the time) supporting players who all lend the narrative unique flavor and understated gravitas. It’s no wonder actors around the world clamor to be in his movies, feel honored when Allen pegs them for a role, and very few of them ever turn him down.

(L–R) Marion Cottilard, Alison Pill, Owen Wilson, and Woody Allen on the set of "Midnight in Paris." (Sony Pictures Classics)
(L–R) Marion Cottilard, Alison Pill, Owen Wilson, and Woody Allen on the set of "Midnight in Paris." Sony Pictures Classics

The Last Hurrah

In the 11 years since “Midnight” was released, Allen has made eight more features and, sadly, all but one of them—the near-perfect “Blue Jasmine,” a clever reworking of “A Streetcar Named Desire” set in San Francisco—are out-and-out stinkers. The man has simply run out of ideas.

On the upside, of the 50+ features Allen has made, 20 of them are excellent and another 12 or so are quite good. If filmmaking were baseball, Allen’s lifetime average would be well over .600 – a feat few filmmakers around that long could ever dream of achieving.

“Midnight” is a straight-forward comedy with lots of fantasy.
“Midnight” is a straight-forward comedy with lots of fantasy.
‘Midnight in Paris’ Director: Woody Allen Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Corey Stoll, Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston Running Time: 1 hour, 34 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Release Date: May 20, 2011 Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Author
Originally from the nation's capital, Michael Clark has provided film content to over 30 print and online media outlets. He co-founded the Atlanta Film Critics Circle in 2017 and is a weekly contributor to the Shannon Burke Show on FloridaManRadio.com. Since 1995, Mr. Clark has written over 5,000 movie reviews and film-related articles. He favors dark comedy, thrillers, and documentaries.
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