Sweet nostalgia!

We have all longed for that overwhelming feeling of passion for the things we love the most, the satisfaction of re-living the moments we will always treasure alongside a fascination of romanticising the past.

Midnight in Paris focuses on exactly these elements and fortunately Woody Allen forgets all the gimmicks and directs his simplest and lightest film in years, a romantic comedy fuelled by fantasy, nostalgia and the undying allure of The City of Lights.
 
The film opens with a montage of beautifully-shot picture postcard images of Paris accompanied by a soothing instrumental.

The rich visual lasts almost five minutes with no dialogue, but the attractive tourist spots act as an illustrated poem and immediately sets the scene.

As the montage comes to an end the audience is introduced to Gil, (Wilson), a Hollywood screenwriter and budding novelist obsessed with the 1920s, and Inez, his insipid fiancée.

It follows them both on their overwrought trip in Paris. Gil decides to roam the streets to clear his head, however, when the clock strikes midnight, a vintage car pulls up alongside with champagne-fuelled passengers encouraging him to join them.

He later finds that he has travelled back in time, to the 1920s, and befriends Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali, Picasso, Gertrude Stein and the rest of the renowned group. The closer Gil gets to the heart of the roaring twenties, the further he is from happiness with Inez, which ultimately results in Gil finding a new love interest.

However, the real love story in this film is Paris, itself. Allen uses the camera to express his love of the city. The movement is smooth, the dialogue is light and the frames are filled with beautiful scenery.

The viewer is watching a love letter to Paris unravel naturally, a quality Allen utilises so well. He focuses on the delusion of nostalgia, yet the glamour and vision of the past shines through. He doesn’t focus on the unanswered questions throughout the film because he knows we don’t care – it’s a fantasy.

At first, knowing Wilson had the leading role, I didn’t want to take it seriously, but he blends the right amount of humour and sedateness that the role demands. He catches the shyness and quirkiness of Allen’s character without slavishly acting as his proxy. He plays it right that I found myself cringing and feeling awkward during conversations between him and other characters, just as they did.

The overall message of this fantasy becomes clear at the end – you shouldn’t live in the past (although he does make it look, oh so appealing) but rather make the most of the present.

It’s hard to believe that Woody Allen has returned to his legendary status after the disappointment of movies such as You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and Match Point but Midnight in Paris proclaims his return.

It is charismatic, effortless, brutally shrewd and optimistic. Midnight in Paris may have you hijacking into someone else’s dreams but it still exudes the correct dose of nostalgia, desire and soul.

* Showing in Cineco and Seef II