Midnight in Paris (2011)

Director: Woody Allen

Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates

While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée’s family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s everyday at midnight.

Lets face it: Woody Allen is a legend in our time. The man possesses incredible writing skills and his work is wonderfully original. ‘Midnight in Paris’ is yet another perfect example.

This is such a delightful fantasy comedy drama. Owen Wilson is perfect as Gil, a man trapped in a mismatch relationship. He enjoys the simple things in life while his fiancee and her parents indulge in the luxuries life has to offer. Gil is a free spirit, and once he enters the fantasy world, there can be much debate of how much of it is actually real, and how much is pure escapism created by his own mind in an effort to break free from his monotonous life.

The film takes us on a wonderful journey as Gil rubs shoulders with the Who’s Who of yesteryear, and he becomes increasingly more inclined to escape from his world. This is a beautiful film with a wonderful script. If you allow yourself to read between the lines, you too will appreciate the simplest things in life, and enjoy a world without pretense.

‘Midnight in Paris’ earned $151 million on a $17 million budget. It received an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay. The film won awards for Best Screenplay, Best Screenwriter, Movie of the Year, Producer of the Year among others, and received several nominations including Best Actor, Best Director, Best Film, Best Comedy, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Editing, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actor to name but a few.

Would I watch it again? Yes.