Paris. Gil and Inez are there on a trip. He, a successful Hollywood screenwriter, seems stuck on his novel. He likes walking in the rain and declares himself in love with the Paris of the 1920s. He suggests to Inez that they move there after the wedding. She seems more concerned with shopping. One night Gil decides to stroll through the city while Inez goes out for drinks with some friends. At midnight a vintage car takes him on a journey that brings his heart closer to Paris by taking him further from his girlfriend…
What have we got?
- Paris according to a very finely tuned Woody Allen.
- A romantic comedy told as a fairy tale.
- A masterly and unexpected performance from Owen Wilson.
- A fantastic trip through the Paris of 1920.
- Surrealism, with a cameo from Carla Bruni thrown in.
What haven’t we got?
- Special effects.
- A boring story.
How does it turn out?
A small, picturesque work of art from the director. Unpretentious: the script, though very finely tuned, isn’t the most remarkable thing about it. The actors, though Owen Wilson stands out (there are moments when he seems to be Woody Allen himself), along with Corey Stoll (impressive as Hemingway) and Adrien Brody (hunting for Dalí’s accent), aren’t the most glamorous. The story, though not perfect, is captivating. But altogether it makes a magical film, pleasant to watch, one that hooks you and is a joy. The cinematography is geared towards highlighting the beauty of the city and the characters, playing very well with colours and tones to tell past from present (it seems Woody Allen experimented with a different digital format for this film). It has something of the fairy tale about it: simple, uncomplicated, with fantasy. A charming conceit, in cahoots with 1920s Paris and full of admiration for it. There are also a few little pearls to reflect on, the director’s trademark: love, happiness, dreams, the past. But above all there is a great deal of homage to Parisian culture at the start of the last century: we’ll see Hemingway, Picasso, Dalí, Toulouse-Lautrec, Degas, Matisse, Gauguin… all of them with something to contribute. Pay close attention to Marion Cotillard’s role, not only her delightful performance but the character herself, who is very interesting. At times she seems to embody the spirit of the city of Paris, looking to the past rather than the future. The film plays on nostalgia, the idea of a better past or of periods in which you would have liked to live. Above all it’s a journey through time in a city that makes you fall in love, an essay on how an artist’s mind works in search of inspiration. Inspiration presented as a fairy tale, a love story with a city, an era, a way of seeing things. And sometimes a look at the past helps you reconnect with yourself in the present.
Watch it as a romantic comedy, with your other half, for a night of fantasy. Woody Allen fans: it partly recaptures the kind of script, like Manhattan, that defined him as a writer. Hunters of romantic comedies, you’ll like it. In the vein of Before Sunrise, but as a fairy tale.
Recommended, sweet surrealism.