MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (2011)

Well, like many of crazy Woody Allen fans, I’m also keenly awaiting to watch his latest offering. Quite opposite to its popular opinions and ratings, I would have quite mixed views about it. 

The protagonist inhabits in two different worlds where reality and imagination coalesces to give us pleasant surprising experience; an element Woody used in many of his films so far. Here is a confused writer suffering from mental block comes to Paris with his fiancée and fall in love with the city. He soon fantasizing about roaming in 20^th century Paris every midnight where he encounters the company great writers and artists like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Faulkner, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Bunuel, T S Elliott and started romancing with Picasso’s girlfriend.

Through popping and introducing the greatest artists of 20^th century and perhaps while paying tribute to many of his admirable icons Woody made the plot and script quite flippant one which fumbles and scattered with its slow pace and tad one dimensional characters. Perhaps those who’ve read the authors or knew certain facts or style of these men will like and enjoy it better than average audience. Besides the film has a lot of use of French language without subtitles and don’t have a tone of comedy, wit or intellect that his fans expect from his well made films. Except Owen Wilson there’s not a single character which I found impressive one.

Yes, Paris never seems so beautiful in any of color films I’ve ever seen. Woody poetically pays his tribute to the city of Paris. We’ve seen his preoccupation with New York in many of his early films and the opening three and half minutes picture post cards frames of this film reminds me instantly one of my all-time favorite Woody film ‘Manhattan’. Thumbs up for Darius Khondji’s camerawork and classy background score.

Average one in my opinion, the other Woody fans can watch and share their opinions…

Ratings-6.5/10