Midnight in Paris
I was lucky to watch this on DVD with another person (HBragg) and I say this is lucky because we could pause and discuss it whenever we wanted, as opposed to having to wait until the end of the movie if we saw it in the theater. Seeing a movie on the big screen is nice and all, but sometimes the ability to pause is nice.
Some things we talked about:
1. Is there a statement being made with the clothing? Inez (Rachel McAdams) wore basically the same thing throughout the movie. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but if it was, here are a couple of things I thought about: a) Woody Allen's strong yet unlikeable female characters are usually in more masculine clothes, while the passionate and more likeable characters dress in a more feminine style (see also: Vicky Christina Barcelona). b) Maybe the linens and soft colors were supposed to represent a faux relaxation in Inez.
2. At the beginning of the movie, I would've said that Gil (Owen Wilson) was the obvious stand in for Woody Allen. However, later in the movie I feel like he was more what Allen strived for...HOPED he could be. My turning point: After watching the walk in the rain vs. take a car battle, there's a scene where Gil comes up to Scott, Zelda and Adriana and does a familiar grab to Scott with a joking "Is this guy bothering you?" kinda thing. We're led to believe this is their third meeting (or, at least, the third night Gil has known this group of the Lost Generation). It's so perfectly familiar - fitting to Gil's personality, but so unlike Inez and her family that we haven't been able to see him as himself to this point. It might be my favorite moment in the whole movie. It's also, though, so unlike how [I see] Woody Allen. He seems too self-concious and introverted to ever have that same level of familiarity in such a public setting. I do understand that I'm projecting everything I've ever stereotyped as Woody Allen onto him from only seeing his movies (and a PBS special), though, so...
3. Owen Wilson had some truly inspired reaction shots. Two I especially liked: a) When he first gets into the cab. b)His eyes when Hemingway is talking to them about hunting.
4. Allison Pill needs to work on her Southern accent.
5. You know what the movie needed? More Dali. I could've done with more Dali. (Maybe we didn't talk about this, but I thought it.)
