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MOVIE INFO

Director:
Woody Allen
Cast:
Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Michael Sheen, Allison Pill, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody
Writing Credits:
Woody Allen

Synopsis:
This is a romantic comedy set in Paris about a family that goes there because of business, and two young people who are engaged to be married in the fall have experiences there that change their lives. It's about a young man's great love for a city, Paris, and the illusion people have that a life different from theirs would be much better.

Box Office:
Budget
$17 million.
Opening Weekend
$599.003 thousand on 6 screens.
Domestic Gross
$56.428 million.

MPAA:
Rated PG-13

DVD DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1/16X9
Audio:
English Dolby Digital 3.0
French Dolby Digital 3.0
Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 94 min.
Price: $30.99
Release Date: 12/20/2011

Bonus:
• “Midnight in Cannes” Featurette
• Previews


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
Panasonic 50" TH-50PZ77U 1080p Plasma Monitor; Sony STR-DG1200 7.1 Channel Receiver; Panasonic DMP-BD60K Blu-Ray Player using HDMI outputs; Michael Green Revolution Cinema 6i Speakers (all five); Kenwood 1050SW 150-watt Subwoofer.

RELATED REVIEWS

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Midnight In Paris (2011)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 25, 2012)

In standard box office terms, 2011’s Midnight in Paris failed to stir up much monetary excitement. It took in $56 million in the US, which placed it 57th on the year-end chart.

However, when compared to other Woody Allen films, Paris looks like an enormous smash. His two prior movies – 2010’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger and 2009’s Whatever Works - made barely 1/8th the gross of Paris combined. Even Allen flicks viewed as successes – like 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona and 2005’s Match Point - took in much less than half of this one’s earnings.

Really, I think you’d have to go back to the 1980s to find any other Allen films that compare with this one’s relative success. In terms of actual dollars, Paris appears to be Allen’s highest-grossing film, though if you adjust for inflation, it clearly would lose to earlier efforts like Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters.

While I think Allen has pumped out erratic output over his career – a tendency that’s been more obvious over the last 20 years – I’m happy that he’s encountered career-reviving success in his mid-70s. Now I have to deal with the more significant question: is Paris actually any good?

Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) makes a great living as a Hollywood screenwriter, but this doesn’t fulfill his artistic ambitions. He wishes that he and his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) could move to Paris and reside there, but she refuses to leave the US. Still, Gil remains attached to the notion, and a trip they take to France along with her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy) just feeds his fantasy.

Matters become even more enticing when Gil wanders the streets of Paris in a semi-inebriated state. An antique car appears and the inhabitants invite him to come along with them and drink champagne. Before too long, Gil winds up at a party where he meets a woman named Zelda (Allison Pill) – a woman with a husband named Scott (Tom Hiddleston).

At first, Gil thinks this is just a gag, but he soon realizes that the car has transported him back to the 1920s. Gil also meets Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Pablo Picasso (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo) and other artistic legends. Gil enjoys the greatest night of his life and tries to come back the next night with Inez.

This doesn’t work out with Inez in tow, and she heads home. Gil eventually realizes that he can’t go back in time until midnight, so when the clock strikes 12, he hops into the car and goes back to the 1920s. This sets him on a journey of love and discovery, as he works on a novel and contemplates his relationship with Inez.

Most Allen films feature a character with a clear resemblance to the writer/director. Woody himself used to play the “Woody role”, but I don’t think that’s been true since 2002’s Hollywood Ending, so he’s used a string of replacements.

Wilson gets that assignment here, though Gil seems less like “Movie Woody” than most of the others, and that’s a good thing. Most of the actors who take on the “Woody role” tend to play up the stammering and mannerisms. Wilson plays down those traits, which is something of a surprise since he tends toward similar mannerisms in many of his other performances.

But it’s a good decision, as the lack of tics and stammering ensure that Gil becomes one of the more likable Woody doppelgangers we’ve seen. Wilson comes across as less pretentious and smug than his predecessors, and he helps ground the fantasy tale. Gil could’ve been as insufferable as most Woody clones, but he ends up as reasonably genuine and charming.

It’s too bad the movie doesn’t bother to flesh out the other roles very well. In particular, Inez suffers, as she’s little more than a cartoon shrew; other than her looks, we can’t ever figure out why Gil would be interested in her. Her parents are worse, and even the usually delightful Michael Sheen can’t bring any spark to the movie’s most pretentious part, Inez’s know-it-all friend Paul.

Probably the film’s biggest flaw comes from its narrative, or lack thereof. Much of the time Allen appears to think he simply needs to allow Gil to meet various artistic legends and we’ll be entertained. Unfortunately, the thrill of discovery wears off quickly, and the movie soon feels like a long parade of character cameos; we think less about the actual story and more about who the flick will trot out next.

Because of this, Paris really is more of a concept than a story. It essentially glides by on its premise and rarely bothers with much else. Yeah, Allen throws in a message by the end, but it seems gratuitous, as the movie cares most about its cameo-oriented fantasy.

Even with these flaws, Paris manages a breezy charm that makes it watchable. Maybe I just don’t expect much from Allen these days, but at least Paris was a step up over recent duds like Whatever Works and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Though Paris is a far cry from classic Allen, it’s a moderately enjoyable romp.


The DVD Grades: Picture B-/ Audio C/ Bonus D

Midnight in Paris appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. This was a good but not great SD-DVD presentation.

For the most part, sharpness looked positive. Wide shots tended to be a bit soft and blocky, but those concerns weren’t major. Much of the movie stayed with close-ups or two-shots, so general definition seemed good. I noticed no issues with shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes were minor. The image lacked print defects.

In terms of palette, Paris opted for warm tones. The modern-day scenes went for a strong golden feel, while the 1920s shots added a bit of a red tint. These colors could be a little heavy at times, but they usually seemed appropriate within the stylistic choices. Blacks were deep and dark, while shadows showed nice clarity. Overall, this remained a positive presentation.

As for the film’s Dolby Digital 3.0 soundtrack, it proved to be wholly unambitious. Music showed decent stereo spread, while effects delivered minor ambience. Given that Woody Allen still went with mono mixes until a few years ago, even three channels of audio offers a step up, but the soundscape still didn’t do a whole lot.

Audio quality was fine, at least. Speech was the most important factor and worked fine; the lines were consistently natural and concise. Music showed reasonable pep and fullness, while effects appeared acceptably accurate. Nothing here impressed, so this remained a “C” soundtrack.

Woody Allen films always skimp on extras, and this one’s no different. We find a featurette entitled Midnight in Cannes. It goes for four minutes, 57 seconds and shows a press conference from the film festival. The panel includes writer/director Woody Allen, and actors Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Michael Sheen, and Adrien Brody. We get notes about the project’s origins and story plus cast and performances. The clip moves along at a nice pace and has a few interesting notes, but it’s not particularly meaty.

In addition to the film’s trailer, the Previews area provides an ad for Carnage.

Though it doesn’t compare with Woody Allen’s stronger work, Midnight in Paris at least gives us a minor comeback after a string of duds. Owen Wilson helps sell the silly story and it turns into a moderately enjoyable affair. The DVD comes with acceptably good picture, mediocre audio and skimpy supplements. This is a spotty but generally likable film.

Viewer Film Ratings: 4 Stars Number of Votes: 7
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