2011 Movies: #18

Ref: Mulhern

And the hits, they keep on coming!

#18 Midnight in Paris

This is the only one of the Oscar films I was able to see three times - once on a plane with partially obstructed view and skewed color balance and twice more on different rental occasions in the comfort of home. Any way you slice it, Midnight in Paris is a keeper - even when Owen Wilson is tinted blue.

Much of the movie's allure comes from its ambiance: the musical selections, the Parisian charm, the '20s fashion. The story itself holds up despite the fact that many of its characters are unlikable, especially condescending Inez and the pedantic gentleman. (As an aside, I dispute Mulhern's disparaging of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy's acting skill: she was basically tapped to play a demure French tour guide in a single scene, which I don't know that she could screw up. Besides, she's a multi-hyphenate!) Much of this is due to Owen Wilson's relatable embodiment of wide-eyed, romantic, nostalgic Gil. While some of the period portrayals are overly broad, the intense Hemingway is especially amusing in his descriptions of what it is to be true... and young... and brave... and courageous... and not afraid to die if dying is what it means to be true.