Frank Vargas
Professor Beverly Whitson
English 52
24 March 2014
The Era We Live In
What’s one of the worst parts about living life? It can be not being able to find that one true love in life, or even living with regret in your heart. I always hear conversations about people being together with a person they don’t love, or people talking about something they wish they could have done when they had the chance, but were too concerned about another factor in their lives, now having to live life full of regrets. Like Gil Pender says, “That’s just the era we line in…” In the 2011 film, Midnight In Paris, written and directed by Woody Allen, tells the story of Gil Pender’s, played by Owen Wilson, longing for self-fulfillment and his love for historical 1920’s Paris, France. The film also stars veteran actress, Rachael McAdams, playing Gil’s significant other, Inez. The film starts off with Gil and Inez, two engaged Americans in modern Paris having a little vacation. On a lonesome late night stroll, Gil finds himself lost in the backstreets of Paris and sees an old car from the 20’s drive up to him with open doors. Ready for an adventure in Paris he decides to get into the vehicle. Little does he know that he just stepped into a time portal transporting Gil back to the wonderful times of 1920’s Paris. Confused and full of awe, he assures himself that, “He was born too late.” While trying to figure out where he is, he runs into another young American couple, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, with whom he tags along with for the remainder of the night. Also introduced to Gil is one of his writing idols, Ernest Hemingway, which helps Gil get some personal insight on his novel, a work in progress that he has a hard time letting other people critique. As the night comes to an end, he wakes up in his hotel room back in modern time and later again tries repeating his transportation back into the 20’s. Again he sees the 20th century automobile approaching him once more, and is once again back in historical Paris. After meeting up with Hemingway, Gil is introduced to Gertrude Stein, who critiques his novel and makes a few notes for him. Gil is taken by surprise and meets one of Pablo Picasso’s lovers, Adriana, who is a very attractive woman. Getting more feedback from on his novel, Gil begins spending a lot of time with Adriana and decides to buy one of her books when he’s back in his present time, and realizes she has written about him in one of her books. Continuing to return to the 20’s, Gil begins to spend time away from his fiancé and doesn’t notice that she has been going out with Paul, an old college friend from back home while he has been spending time with Adriana. Fed up with their relationship, Gil breaks up with Inez and goes back to Adriana to stay with her but he soon notices that she adores a previous golden era in time and realizes that she and Gil aren’t right for each other since his golden era was 1920’s Paris, France. Owen Wilson does a job well done in Midnight in Paris. Wilson is usually seen in comedic films as a funny character but really fits in well as Gil Pender. Wilson plays a likeable and believable role that finds himself going back and forward from modern to 1920’s Paris and falls in love with the time and begins finding his true writer while having an unsupportive fiancé waiting for him. For example, in one scene Gil is talking to his fiancée Inez about possibly relocating to Paris after they have been married but she reacts to his suggestion by telling him, “You’re in love with a fantasy.” Wilson fits perfectly into the role of hardworking writer in the film and knocks the role out of the park. According to Rolling Stone Magazines Peter Travers, Wilson’s performance is pitch perfect to capturing the humor and gravity that Gil Pender’s role demanded. I have to agree with Travers because Wilson took on a few scenes where we were able to recognize his comedic rooms from other films. USA Today’s Claudia Puig doesn’t applaud Wilson’s performance as I do. She refers to his work to less than convincing of a novelist with a passion for Fitzgerald or Hemingway like he does in the film. Puig argues that unlike his comedy films like Wedding Crashers or Zoolander, Wilson does a mediocre job on the film. Based on the film, Wilson is able to keep the audience thinking and believe that he is a dedicated and talented writer. Pete Hammond of Box Office Magazine, declares Allen’s romantic comedy to be a delightful film giving Gil what he wants every night taking him back to the golden era of 1920’s Paris, to be Wilson’s best work in years. Hammond took the words right out of my mouth; it’s indeed Wilson’s best work since his comedy film, Wedding Crashers. Jon Maguire from Confessions of a Film Critic, sums that Wilson plays a key performance to a film romanticizing Paris’ beauty a good one. Of course I’m not arguing with Maguire, only adding onto what he critiques is that Wilson keeps he audience engaged for the duration of the film keeping us on the edge of our seats. I heart the talkies gives Wilson a mediocre review that he had a decent performance in comparison to his previous work. The film and Wilson’s character Gil does an above par job of keeping the audience engaged throughout the love piece to Paris. Kenneth Turan from the Los Angeles Times, begin his review with a bold statement in regards to Allen’s masterpiece, giving him credits to a wonderful picture that he never thought would make again, and also his most enjoyable work in years. Turan also credits Wilson to a “Wish upon a star-like” quality of a film, and also one his mellowest and funniest ventures yet. Being behind Turan, I can accompany him in giving Wilson one of his best performances that have yet to come, with countless more on the way. A memorable character in the film is Ernest Hemingway, played by Corey Stoll, is a very serious and odd character. Hemingway’s character is a very demanding and somewhat of an unpredictable character. In one scene he asks Gil, “Are you a boxer?”, and if he wants to box with hm. He seems a bit scarred by the war as he states in his opening scene by telling Gil “…that’s what war does to a man.” He easily plays my favorite character because he is very entertaining to watch. Stoll does a great job playing the great American writer. In the film Stoll does a great job really selling the part of Hemingway. It’s very believable when his character shows scenes of tension with Zelda Fitzgerald. Zelda thinks that Hemingway hates her, and criticizes her in whatever she tries to accomplish. In reality, the thing is that Hemingway things that Zelda is bad for Scott. Hemingway always though that Zelda was a big distraction to Scotts career, that she emasculated him. Stoll’s character was undeniably my pick for favorite in Allen’s film. One quote I particularly loved by Hemingway was, “No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the purpose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure” was one of the best lines to come out of Stoll’s characters mouth.
On the other note, a character I thought didn’t perform up to par was Rachael McAdams role, as Pender’s girlfriend. As I observed her throughout the film, I noticed that I wasn’t able to quite exactly buy into her character. McAdams has played excellent roles in the past, for example, in Wedding Crashers, she plays a role similar to the one she played in Midnight In Paris. McAdams just wasn’t able to go that extra step and sell her part to myself. Nevertheless, McAdams still plays a good character, regardless her previous resume and previous work plays fact that she is still a one of a kind actress. Throughout the entire film, Allen’s ability and talent to entertain was by far on a large scale in Midnight In Paris. The entire way through the film it was easily capable to be entertained and engaged almost without ease. There are many scenes in the film that got the critics attention to be very funny. One scene of the film I could easily recall upon is the scene where Gil tries to sneak his girlfriend Inez’s earrings and take them to his historical other. I can easily remember when Inez says that, “It’s always the maids”, who she thinks to be accountable for her missing pearl earrings. Immediately after, the camera goes to Gil walking out of the bathroom holding onto the earrings pretending for just have found them when he knew deep down that he wasn’t going to be able to get away with taking her earrings and take them as a gift to another woman. This was by far one of the funniest scenes on the film. Looking back on the film, there was one part in particular that wasn’t able to smoothly flow with the other scenes of the film. The scene where Gil and Adriana are eating in the restaurant right after Pender gives Adriana the earrings he purchases for her was a scene that shouldn’t have been included in the film. It was one that was too long and was the only part that I found to be dull and unentertaining. The films length is perfect, neither too long nor is it too short lasting only a short amount over an hour and a half. The obstacles in the film are great like any other film. The story of Midnight In Paris is very believable crediting the casts ability to entertain and keep the viewer’s to imagine that they too are following Pender into the old beautiful automobile with the young Europeans calling “Get in, get in”, that magically is able to transport him into Paris’ golden age of the 1920’s. Realistically being unable to travel back through time and space, the film Midnight In Paris fails to be on the realistic side. The creativity thought into, and gone into the film are easily off the scales making Allen’s work into a beautiful masterpiece for many generations of movie go-ers to enjoy for many years to come. Dialogue in films is what gives a movie all of its rising action and problems leading up to a storylines epic climax. In Midnight In Paris, Allen was sure to include tons of important scenes of dialogue making the film easier and much more entertaining to watch because of all he drama and conflicts taking part. Once scene in particular is when Gil and Inez are both in tot hotel room and have an argument about their relationship. In comes storming in Inez’s parents and tells them, “He is breaking up with me”. In this scene there is already tons of tension in the air because of Inez’s father reveals that he has sent a private spy to look after and note what Gil has been doing on his late night strolls through the Paris street. Now soon to find out that the hired inspector he has asked to look over Gil is in fact missing and has no record of being seen in a number of days. Allen’s loud and powerful comeback film is undeniably one of his better films according to most of the reviews I’ve read. Imdb might have a different say to all of this, giving Allen’s 2011 film Midnight In Paris, only a seven point seven rating out of ten. I’m unsure why the sore of the film is indeed a bit low, but according to the information I’ve gathered, the movie deserves on at least a rating on an eight point five out of ten. This is a very clean film and should be viewable by a minimum age of 13 years old. The film very easily portrays a few messages that you can pick up from just watching the movie. Love and relationships is obvious because of the struggling relationship between Gil and Inez, included with man tough decisions about who exactly Gil wants to be with. For example he visits the museum guide and discovers that Adriana writes, “I me an American Writer, named Gil Pender...who I dreamt about last night and slept with him”. Another theme of the film is easily the longing for what you want within. The audience can easily pick up that Gil wants nothing but to be in 1920’s Paris, walking in the rain as he explains in the opening scenes of the this magnificent film by Woody Allen.