Directed by Woody Allen
Writer/director Woody Allen has taken his ruminations about life from Manhattan to Paris and the opening four minutes of the film delight the audience with the ‘moveable feast’ that is Paris. Gil (Owen Wilson), a Hollywood screenwriter, is in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachael McAdams) and her parents.
It’s the second time Gil, who has ambitions of publishing his novel, has been to Paris. Not only does he regret not staying longer the first time but also he fantasises how remarkable it would have been to be in Paris in the 1920s.
Even though he is staying in a very expensive hotel, he is not enjoying the company of Inez’s parents. When Paul (Michael Sheen), an old college crush of Inez’s turns up in Paris, Gil lets her join him and his girlfriend to do touristy stuff while he spends nights walking the Parisian streets.
At midnight, night after night, he is collected by an old-fashioned taxi and taken back the Twenties. Although it is a totally preposterous premise that he spends time with his idols – F Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, it does lead to contemplating our hankering for nostalgia.
His time-travelling adventures are the cue for many farcical situations that alleviate his despair, but those around him are somewhat suspicious. Gil does meet up with the intriguing Adriana (Marion Cotillard) who feels that Paris would have been much more exciting in the previous century.
The exploration of nostalgia is an entertaining fairy tale with just enough philosophical quandaries thrown in to keep the audience intrigued. Challenging the belief that past times were better times, this film is really a love letter to some of Paris’s rich history. Spot the many cameo roles, including first lady Carla Bruni as the museum guide.
Lezly Herbert
***
