Midnight in Paris is a pretty standard Woody Allen film but it was set in Paris, with fantasy, and Owen Wilson was playing Woody Allen. This might not sound like a great combination to you, but we were hooked. Owen Wilson's contributions to indie comedies are much more enjoyable than his roles in frat-pack films such as You, Me and Dupree or blockbusters like Meet The Parents (although we always have a soft spot for Zoolander. Who doesn't though, really?!). His work with Wes Anderson in particular made many reassess their opinion of him
Firstly, Owen Wilson is a superb Woody Allen. From the way he walks, talks and even some of the looks, you can tell he's really spent his time studying the classic Woody Allen stock character. Secondly, he's almost slightly more believable than Woody Allen ever was in his roles. It's always slightly mystifying at the end of the film when somehow, he normally ends up with the girl. Or having affairs left right an center. Owen Wilson is not a short, bespectacled dweeb and he's believably good-looking enough to have the pick of the three girls in the film.
Rachel McAdams plays the dismissive fiancee wonderfully. Her character and her family say they are open minded, but ultimately, they are not prepared to accept that Paris isn't in the USA. In an almost flashback to Annie Hall, an irritating friend, Paul Bates seems to know everything about all the places the couples visit, and Wilson's portrayal of Pender's annoyance at this shines though, you are almost expecting him to say "Well, that's funny, because I happen to have XXX right here..."
Now for the story. A young betrothed couple (Wilson and Rachel McAdams) are staying Paris, and struggling with writer's block, Gil Pender (Wilson) goes on nightly strolls around the city, which he always finds beautiful at night. When the clocks strike midnight, he is transported back in time to the roaring 1920s, spending his nights with authors such as Hemmingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald and artists such as Picasso, Matisse and Dali (captured brilliantly in a small cameo by Adrian Brody). Pender is in awe, believing the 1920s to be a 'golden era' for, well, just about everything. Falling in love with the slightly mysterious Adrianna, he starts to wonder about his imminent marriage and life in 2011.
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