****
DVD Release
Finding it hard to relate to his fiancée's pretentious friends, struggling writer Gil decides to walk the streets of Paris at night in search of inspiration. As midnight strikes, a car sweeps past him and he finds himself sitting alongside none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. So begins a series of evenings spent in 1920s Paris.
It was probably somewhat inevitable that I would end up really liking this film, being an English Literature graduate and having always wanted to travel back to the moments in time where culture was changing, but I wasn't quite prepared for how much I would like it. I'm no Woody Allen aficionado (in fact I think this is the first film of his I've actually watched!), but on the strength of this, I think I might check out more of his work. The thing is, not a great deal happens, it's just the warm story of a man who ends up meeting his literary heroes due to a delightfully unexplained piece of Parisian magic. The script is low-key, but it sneaks up on you, making you laugh, pause to think, and feel nostalgic, without ever making you feel like you're being spoon-fed a message or moral. It's charmingly quaint and inoffensive, perfect Friday night viewing after a frazzling week at work. This film is, effectively, a who's-who of Modernism, and yet it never feels that way, with each famous cultural persona popping up on screen and delighting us with their strange idiosyncrasies.
Owen Wilson is a perfect piece of casting as Gil, a hopeless romantic, doubting his writing abilities and his impending marriage, who finds himself experiencing the inexplicable when alone in Paris. His easy-going charm fits in with the unquestioning nature of the story, and, after meeting his tyrannical fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), we can't help but root for him. Acting cameos appear left, right and centre, not least Tom Hiddleston as dapper Fitzgerald and Adrian Brody, chewing the scenery, as Salvador Dali. It is perhaps Hemingway (played brilliantly by Corey Stoll) who steals the show, though. The epitome of 'an ass', he steals every scene he's in, as does Michael Sheen as one of Inez's insufferable friends.
It's difficult to describe a film where not a great deal really happens, and for some, that would doubtless be a fault, but for me it felt like an accurate reflection of how life really is: the artists and writers Gil meets didn't know they were creating a cultural movement, they just went along trying to live out their lives, and that's reflected here. Yes, it is whimsical, but a short run time and universally great performances across the board mean that the idea doesn't become too stretched or preposterous. It is also funny; not laugh-out-loud hilarious, but quietly humorous throughout. It isn't perfect, but it is highly enjoyable.
Having resisted watching what I suspected would be a 'rom-com' in all but name for sometime, I was pleasantly surprised by this charmingly low-key film. The star-studded cast take an excellent script and run with it, leaving you with a big smile on your face. If you didn't want to visit Paris already, you will do by the time the film ends.
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