This quite possibly might be my new favorite movie of all time. I was in awe throughout the whole thing. I feel like this movie had the opportunity to be a complete cheesefest, but it is brilliant. Midnight in Paris is filled with history, dreams, and bittersweet reality.
I should first tell you, I love the Roaring 20's. I took a class in college that covered the History of the United States from 1900 to 1929, by far the best class I ever took. A close second was American Literature from the 1900's to Today. Even though the movie is set in Paris, these two classes are well represented...which should have been a huge hint that I would love it from the start. I, however, knew nothing about this movie going in, other than the fact that it starred Owen Wilson.
Have you ever felt like you were born in the wrong decade? Like you would have really thrived in say the 1890's or 1920's? This movie addresses this feeling spot on. It shows you that human kind is never fully satisfied with the status quo of everyday life. We long for the glamour/simpler times/great music/whatever fancies you in what we know of the past. We continually romanticize the past. This was definitely the case for Gil. He is faced with a not-so-great reality. He has nothing in common with his fiance, and isn't brave enough to leave his career to do something he loves. At midnight in Paris he enters this alternate reality where he is able to spend the nights with some of the bests artists and authors of all time. Salvador Dali, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, just to name a few. They help Gil develop his character, realize who he wants to be and make it a reality. I don't want to give too much away, so I will stop myself there.
What is mentioned throughout the story is historically sound. Woody Allen did a phenomenal job of truly depicting the characters and the scenes. If the historical figures had the opportunity to check in on Facebook, they would have been checking into the places seen in the movie (Yes, I really did just compare the 20's to today using Facebook). I am just blown away. I want to see it again. I loved the overall theme, the colors, the costumes, the music, the juxtaposition between times, everything really. I felt like I was at one of Gatsby's parties.
Some of the historical characters mentioned.
This movie gets an absolute A+ from me!
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