"Midnight in Paris" by Woody Allen

Midnight in Paris is the latest film of Woody Allen, the 6th film filmed in Europe, after 4 films in England and one in Barcelona. Woody Allen writes almost about the same thing over and over, but in the end most films surprise us by that glimpse of geniality that he is so very capable of. It is not only in the core of relationships and their development over problems that entice us... is even more how life can turn out to be a real surprise. The story of this one goes more or less like this: a bored Hollywood screenwriter decides he will become a real writer, of books, of novels, and is interpreted by Owen Wilson, which by the way is to be married to Rachel McAdams character, a typical republican spoiled American whose parents have lots of money.  Paris is only a place for business, maybe buying some cheap stuff, but oh no, not mingling with the Parisians or their strange life style. Well Owen Wilson's character, Gil, doesn’t think that, he represents the opposite, he falls to his knees for Paris and for all in it, and he wanders the city wishing to have lived between the artists in the 20s. Well, while her fiancée is keen to be passing time with a snobbish know-it-all American, Gil wanders and founds himself between 2 worlds, the real and the past, and the past is helping him figure out the present, his novel, his career, his life. He encounters characters that he would imagine only in his dreams: Ernest Hemingway, Cole Porter, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Dalí and so many that were present in Paris in the 20s. The characterization of all is pretty good with some nice gags. Well, Woody Allen always turn everything upside down...but in this one it revealed a more philosophical way, passing a little bit the relationships theme to a more personal one. Are we content with our époque? Don’t we wish all to live in better times? In the past? That’s obviously part of a human thing to fear the present and the future on the verge of not being able to perfect it more than others did...so we look into the past and wish it to be present, forgetting all the wrongs and being able to look just the goods. Well it’s idyllic for sure, but it’s human...It is indeed a pity that most of the potential of people is lost wandering in the past while we could change and build a better future.

The film is indeed worthwhile seeing, it has Paris, good actors, good scenes, hilarious events, and most of all a good lesson to be assimilated. I can say that he brought an almost master piece here.

“Gil: That's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying. “