Midnight In Paris (2011)

 

Midnight In Paris - 2011

Coming up next we have 2011's "Midnight In Paris", a tale about a man, who on a trip to Paris, discovers more than he ever thought possible from a variety of unexpected circumstances.  His new discoveries change his life forever.

The film's cast includes Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Mimi Kennedy, Kurt Fuller, Michael Sheen, Nina Arianda, Carla Bruni, Alison Pill, Corey Stall, Kathy Bates, Marion Cotillard, Lea Seydoux, Adrien Brody, and Karine Vanasse.

We begin our story on the streets of Paris.  (Director Woody Allen's opening sequence is a stunning love letter to the City of Lights.)

Gil Pender is a successful screenwriter visiting Paris with his fiancée Inez.  Gil has always wanted to move to Paris.  Inez cannot imagine herself living outside of the United States.  Gil also wants to write a novel, but Inez says he should stick with screenwriting.

As they visit some of famous tourist destinations around Paris with a couple of Inez's friends from America, Gil becomes more and more aware of the differences between them, and that they want different things out of life.

Gil's ideal world is Paris of the 1920s.  After a few drinks one night, he finds himself in some kind of alternate universe, where he gets to experience the Paris of his dreams.

He's initially cautious but eventually excited to meet such luminaries as Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Salvador Dali, and Gertrude Stein.  Each of them has something to teach Gil during his time in this strange place he's found himself in.

Over the course of several evenings, he finds himself drawn to a young woman named Adriana, who was Picasso's muse.  Ultimately, Gil is dismayed to find that Adriana is unhappy in 1920's Paris.  She would prefer to live in the Paris of the Belle Époque period.

After his experiences in the Paris of the past are over, Gil decides to break things off with Inez and find someone who understands him and wants the same things that he does.

And that person couldn't be more perfect for him.  After initial greetings, the two walk off together down a Paris street in the rain (Gil loves Paris in the rain, so does she).

Cast rundown:

   Owen Wilson..............................Gil Pender

   Rachel McAdams.........................Inez

   Mimi Kennedy.............................Helen

   Kurt Fuller..................................John

   Michael Sheen............................Paul Bates

   Nina Arianda..............................Carol Bates

   Carla Bruni.................................Museum Guide

   Alison Pill...................................Zelda Fitzgerald

   Corey Stall.................................Ernest Hemingway

   Kathy Bates................................Gertrude Stein

   Marion Cotillard..........................Adriana

   Lea Seydoux...............................Gabrielle

   Adrien Brody..............................Salvador Dali

   Karine Vanasse..........................Belle Époque Couple

And that's all for Midnight In Paris.  This film became director Woody Allen's biggest box-office hit, earning over $150 million.  Owen Wilson accepted the part without first having spoken with Allen about it.  The two met for the first time when Wilson arrived in Paris to begin filming.

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