One of the most enjoyable films I saw in the past year was Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris. While it begins with characters and dialogue typical of his movies, the film takes a sharp turn and throws us into 1920s Paris with a continuous stream of famous names from the artist revolution in 1920s Paris. The flood of characters is at times overwhelming (there's a dozen legendary artists around every street corner), but the story is executed so wonderfully that it's really just a playful romp through the popular fantasy of "what famous person would you like to have dinner with?" In fact, the entire film is playful; fun, light, and laugh-out-loud funny at points it's just a pleasure to watch without deeper probing. And while wistful for "a golden age" Woody Allen through Owen Wilson eventually rejects the notion of a perfect, happy past and embraces an imperfect present. It's a wonderful journey as a viewer to travel through; we experience the romanticism of Parisian cafes in the rain filled with flappers, but finish the film in our day with quiet acceptance.
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