Movie Crush Monday-ish: CT & Midnight in Paris

Okay okay, I know it's Tuesday and not Monday. But there were extenuating circumstances yesterday and in her infinite grace and wisdom Little C has given me a pass on the punishment. So here we are, a day late but not short at all because this week's Movie Crush is a delight. We could have followed Michael Sheen from just about anything because he does so much good work, but we're going to take a trip across the pond and talk about Midnight In Paris. 

Now, I'm historically veeeeery hit or miss with Woody Allen movies. But this is one that I've seen so many times and it's just a joy to watch. 

Owen Wilson is one of those actors that I love no matter what kind of role he's doing. Comedy, drama, action. He's consistent across the board. Here, he's basically a substitute for Woody Allen, but makes the typical Allen neurotic-ness somehow charming. He plays a struggling writer who's in Paris with his controlling fiancée and her family. He finds out that on his midnight walks through the city he can travel back to the 1920s and the height of the Belle Époque. 

It's a beautiful bit of wish-fulfillment, as Wilson's character gets to meet Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali and talk to them about art and writing and love. He even gets notes on his work from Gertrude Stein. And Woody Allen uses a whole cast of our favorites to play the historical figures. Allison Pill, Corey Stoll, Adrien Brody, even a first-big-role Tom Hiddleston. It's amazing to watch all these huge hitters sitting in one scene. 

Wilson's character also finds himself falling in love with one of the women from the past, played by the effortlessly amazing Marion Cotillard. He thinks that in her he's found everything that his cold, critical fiancée is lacking. Of course, none of it is quite what it seems. 

Besides the whimsy of the time travel elements, this movie is a beautiful love letter to Paris and the art that's come out of the city. It's about letting all the romance of the French culture work on you, make you see what life could be like if you followed your heart just a little. 

Happy Watching!

CT