Midnight in Paris

                Midnight in Paris is by far one of the most cliché and predictable movies I have seen in a very long time. However, that did not take much away from the plot; it was simple enough to follow but the development of characters throughout made it complete.

                Initially it was difficult to accept Owen Wilson as a serious character because I remember him as the wedding crasher among several other roles he has played where the character is something of a joke. But the seriousness of the movie sets in fairly quickly. We initially see the spark of love between him and his fiancée, Inez, that is most likely what brought them together. However, it also doesn’t take long to see the differences between the two when it comes to the big ideas: where to live, what to write, what to do, etc. It already seems like something of a flawed relationship. To top it off, Inez is enamored by Paul’s intellect and knowledge from the beginning; I noticed this immediately when watching the movie and sensed that there was something between the two, similar to how Hemingway sensed it. Paul’s attitude in general made him come off somewhat as a snob, and it was just the kind of person Inez was attracted to. To Hemingway it was so obvious, just as it was to the viewer.

                Without knowing anything about the plot, and only the movie title, I knew that something extraordinary was going to happen when the clock struck midnight for the very first time. And in the way that Gil talked so much about the past, coupled with typical Hollywood, I’m not surprised that this led to time travel. Gil got to see all of his favorite artists from the 1920s, interact with them and share ideas just as if he were part of their inner circle. It was clear from the first meeting with Stein, and therefore Adriana, that Adriana would be a strong love-interest of Gil. Although it didn’t pan out the way he initially hoped, he learned a lot about himself and humanity in general – many of us believe that life was better at another time. But he realizes that the present is what we are given, and what we must deal with.

                After hearing what Hemingway thought of the book, Gil confronted Inez and his fears were immediately affirmed. But at this point they were no longer fears – he accepted the change. He realized through his time with Adriana and the others that he and his fiancée would not be able to live happily together. After he left her, the true disgusting nature of Inez and her parents were revealed. Something that was just subtle at the beginning was now fully blown and obvious.

                I hate to say I knew it all along, but Gil’s final love interest in Gabrielle was obvious from the beginning, but that’s not to say I knew quite how it would end. However, an attractive female character appearing multiple times throughout the movie is no mistake. She lived in the present, shared similar interests as Gil, and best of all she was a native Parisian! From the beginning, one could see that she was exactly the type Gil was looking for all along. The movie absolutely had a happily-ever-after ending, even though the two only just met.