Midnight in Paris: Review

I have to say, when I saw Midnight in Paris listed on Sky Box Office, it was only with vague interest that I decided to press buy and spend £3.49 of my mum's phone bill. However, I had no idea how far I would fall in love with this film. I only hope my words can begin to describe the enchantment of this film. I gush, but I do hope more people will watch this film because it is truly beautiful, and in our capitalist 'make films only for money' culture, that's truly a rare find.

Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (the stunning Rachel McAdams) visit Paris 'tagging along' on her father's business trip. While Inez lives the ideal Paris holiday life, meeting up with an old acquaintance and having various nights out with him and his wife, Gil wanders around the streets one night, drunk and looking for his hotel. In a magical twist of fate, as the clock strikes midnight, a car that seems to be straight from the 1920s turns the corner and its occupants beckon Gil inside.

Remarkably, these occupants turn out to be Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and they transport Gil, wine and all, to a party thrown in honour of Jean Cocteau, also attended by the one and only Ernest Hemingway. Following the magnificent party which Gil cannot quite accept as real, he wanders back to join Inez in their hotel room, questioning- but at the same time sure of -the reality of the night he's just spent.

I don't want to ruin the magic of this film, but it continues in much the same vein, with Gil meeting various amazing historical figures in the streets and bars of Paris as the nights go on. The beauty of this story encapsulated me - as Gil fell more in love with Paris, so did I, and so should the whole audience. Inez's reaction to her infidelity is immature and laughable at best, which places the audience firmly on Gil's side. Woody Allen's expertise is so evident here, one cannot deny his genius. The audience is drawn into the magic and grandeur of Paris through the ages and this journey is such that one cannot help but be enamoured by it.

It is refreshing to see Owen Wilson in a role which does not depend upon comedy and he has certainly done his career a favour by taking on this role. Rachel McAdams veers back towards the Regina character of Mean Girls that made her so popular with a younger audience, but away from the Allie in the Notebook which drew her so many older fans. She is a perfect medium between the two, and you cannot help but love her for it, despite her flaws.

Midnight in Paris is a beautiful depiction of one man's love affair with the city, and is also one that viewers will envy until they can recreate it themselves. Woody Allen's waving of his magic cinematic wand has surely done the Parisian tourism board no harm on this occasion.