Midnight in Paris

I would say no, I'm pretty sure this is my first Woody Allen movie. As a result I didn't know what to expect, but dug what I got and came out with a pretty satisfied and full tummy. Paris, the city I loved, the Lost Generation, and the message that drives the film – it all made for a tasty whole. Plus, Owen wasn't bad, although in some of the crappy parts I'd just rather see someone more... I don't know if "erudite" is the right word. A film full of art and thoughts of the past. Apparently there's nothing like living in the present. (26/02/2012)

Woody Allen is a magician. As a lover of Paris and an admirer of times past, I got lost somewhere between the opening titles and the first dialogue. Not that I expected anything else after a discreet whisper announcing a minor masterpiece, but the dreamy atmosphere, the sexy Marion Cotillard, and Owen Wilson made in the image of a young Allen? This is how to take the breath away from your devoted fans. Manhattan at last has an equally fascinating sequel after more than thirty years. (10/10/2011)

The picture has a certain vibration about it and I (it seems I alone of the watching ensemble) enjoyed listening to it. Maybe it was the magic of Paris, pulling me back into the past... I often think that I was born at the wrong moment in time... maybe I have an understanding for the indecisiveness of the main protagonist and his search for (women?) himself. Very well-cast. Wlison’s slightly dumbfounded expression is well-placed, Rachel McAdams is absolutely modern, Marion Cotillard beautifully period and the familiar faces of famous people were fine. And the final “decision"? I think I know what I would have done, but it would be a hard choice. (03/03/2012)

Allen doesn’t disappoint. With considerable help from a traditionally excellent cast, and with his most intelligent script in years, he delivers a brilliant and charming advertisement for magical Paris that trumps almost all of his New York ballads in one fell swoop. Time travel has perhaps never been so tastefully entertaining on film, and there's certainly no other work that will make you want to know everything about all those legendary artists, from Hemingway to filmmaker Buñuel. Wilson is permanently likeable, McAdams unfortunately plays second fiddle, but she’s supplemented with grace by the irresistibly adorable Cotillard. Maybe when I can see the beauty of Paris myself, I’ll give it 5*. (29/11/2015)

Like all Woody Allen films, Midnight in Paris has its own unmistakable charm. I became convinced of this with the initial montage of shots of Paris. Owen Wilson, whom I didn't find too convincing at first, pleasantly surprised me. The interweaving of today with the 1920s is fantastic and I think both eras were captured perfectly. I feel like I've returned from a lovely walk through Paris, which I hadn't experienced in this light before. Nice, 4 stars. (20/02/2012)