“Midnight in Paris” marks the 41^st film in Woody Allen’s career and it is one of his best works in recent years; it is also one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a long time. The film is a charming, funny and magical movie filled with memorable performances; elements that feel original and the picture is just great too look at. In my own opinion, Woody Allen hasn’t been on a hot streak as of recently. The only films that have been recognized in the past few years are “Match Point” and “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”. I did enjoy those films but I didn’t consider them to be his best work. But “Midnight in Paris” brings back the love and whimsy that Woody Allen is best known for.

The film begins with shots of well-known places in Paris, France; shot marvelously by cinematographer Darius Khondji. We are then introduced too are two main leads, Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams). They are two lovers vacationing in Paris along with Inez’s parents. Gil is a Hollywood screenwriter and aspiring author with adores Paris life and wishes he could stay there for his entire life. Inez on the other hand is a spoiled rich girl who doesn’t see what Gil sees. He enjoys classic elements and she enjoys shopping. Perhaps they are not ment for each other. He wants to live in Paris and she wants to live in California. He wants to be like Ernest Hemingway and she…well….has probably never read a book by Hemingway.

So one night he walks by himself on the streets of Paris and is approached, at midnight, by an antique car and the passengers tell him to get in. He does and he is driven to a party in 1920’s Paris and sees his idols including F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston), Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll), Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), Pablo Picasso (Macial Di Fonzo Bo) and Salvador Dali (Adrien Brody). It is those people who help him find inspiration and ideas about writing his novel and its helps him with his life because he meets a young woman named Adriana (Marion Cotillard), who might be the girl he has been looking for.

You are probably wondering how Gil is able to travel back to the 1920’s but that is never explained, it just happens. It’s not suppose to be explained and your just suppose to accept the magic of what is happening.

The performances are a delight and that’s what helps the film gets its charm. Particularly Owen Wilson and he gives one of his most memorable performances to date. Watching him get ecstatic and entranced about seeing his idols gives the film a warm feeling of whim and makes him feel likable. Plus the actor’s performances as Gil’s idols are remarkable and comedic as well. Adrien Brody brings comedic delight as a Salvador Dali, Corey Stoll brings comedy through his witty and sophisticated dialogue and Kathy Bates is equally memorable and witty as Gertrude Stein. Plus Marion Cotillard is appealing as a 1920’s French woman. The entire cast is a delight in this film and each one of them brings their own memorable performance. Its also pretty funny with its clever one-liners. They don’t bring the film down like some other romantic comedy. Instead they bring the film up because of how funny they are.

Another joy in the film is how much Director Woody Allen embraces Paris life. He writes and directs it with such fantasy elements that he wants you to celebrate all the great things the city has to offer; from the beautiful cinematography, to the famous people that are shown and through the actor’s dialogue. There is a scene in the movie where the Owen Wilson character just explains how much he likes Paris and I could tell that it was as if Woody Allen talking right through him.  He wants us to embrace the fact that some of us, if not all of us, want to live out one’s own imagination and that’s where the film gets the magic as well.

I enjoyed watching “Midnight in Paris”. The picture is a funny romantic comedy filled with love, whimsy and magic. The actor’s performances are humorous and bring out most of the magic I was talking about. It is Woody Allen’s best work in a long time; it may not be as good as “Annie Hall” but it has it has its own special charm that makes the film good at its own level.

***1/2|PG-13|100 Min