Midnight In Paris Released 7 October 2011 Director Woody Allen Starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Michael Sheen, Nina Arianda, Carla Bruni Writer(s) Woody Allen Producer(s) Letty Aronson, Jaume Roures, Stephen Tenenbaum Origin Spain, United States Running Time 94 minutes Genre Comedy, fantasy, romance Rating 12A

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Woody is back!

Amongst film critics the search for a good Woody Allen film has taken on the characteristics of an ancient quest. Since his heyday from the late sixties to the early nineties Allen has pretty much churned one film a year. Sadly in that time the quality has dropped off badly from his early classics like Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah And Her Sisters.

There have been sightings over the years and wild claims made by some critics. In 2006 some declared Match Point to be his best films in years. But it turned out to be a woodenly acted, dreary reworking of Crimes and Misdemeanours, a far superior earlier film of his. Two years later there was talk of Vicky Cristina Barcelona as being the return to form so sought after. However it was another false dawn as it turned out to be an irritating, contrived mess, despite Penelope Cruz bewilderingly winning an Oscar for her scenery-chewing performance.

So when the news broke in the summer that Midnight in Paris had been both a critical and commercial hit in the United States, European critics were on their guard. Especially as it stars Owen Wilson who’s had his own share of turkeys in recent years like Drillbit Taylor, Hall Pass and Marley And Me.

Wilson plays Gil Pender an American screenwriter on holiday in Paris with his fiancé Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her stuffy, conservative parents. Though Gil is successful in his movie career, he doesn’t respect the work he does and he longs to be a proper writer. He’s in the middle of writing a novel but seems to be stuck. He loves Paris though, having lived there in his youth, and he especially romanticises the Paris of the twenties. He suggests moving there after they’re married but Inez is horrified with the thought and instead is more interested in hanging out with her friend’s pretentious husband Paul (Michael Sheen).

Growing increasingly distant from Inez, Gil starts taking late night strolls in the city and one night after two much wine he finds himself somehow transported in time to the 1920s. He’s taken to a party where he meets F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) and his wife Zelda (Alison Pill). They take him to meet their pal Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) who promises to introduce him to Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) to take a look at his book.

He returns to the present and tries to tell Inez but she doesn’t believe him. He returns to the past again and is taken to Stein’s house where he meets Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo) and his muse Adriana (Marion Cotillard). He finds himself drawn to the beautiful Adriana. Meanwhile Inez’s parents become suspicious of Gil’s night-time activities and hire a private detective to follow him.

It’s a pleasure to reveal that the hype has been justified and this is indeed finally a return to form for Allen. No, it’s certainly not a classic, but it’s a huge improvement on his recent output and it’s a genuinely enjoyable film. Much of this, it must be said, is due to Wilson’s performance in the lead role. In the past Allen’s protagonists, mostly played by him, have nearly always been so neurotic that they have been off-putting for many. But Wilson brings his easy, west-coast charm to the role and it actually works very well and he’s one of Allen’s most likable leading men ever.

There’s good support from the always-dependable McAdams in the somewhat thankless role of the shrewish fiancé. Cotillard is also good as Adriana and even Mrs. Sarkozy herself Carla Bruni turns up as a kindly museum guide without making a fool of herself. There’s great fun to be had with all the historic literary and art figures who pass through scenes. Corey Stoll is excellent as Hemingway and Adrien Brody has a hilarious cameo as Salvador Dalí.

A minor quibble would be the somewhat ham-fisted caricature of Inez’s mean-spirited, right-wing parents that jars a little with the overall mood. However, this is a light, clever and funny movie and at last it’s a Woody Allen film that can be honestly recommended.

- Jim O’Connor