Midnight in Paris (2011)

While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller

Won 1 Oscar. Another 18 wins & 52 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Owen Wilson	...	Gil
Rachel McAdams	...	Inez
Kurt Fuller	...	John
Mimi Kennedy	...	Helen
Michael Sheen	...	Paul
Nina Arianda	...	Carol
Carla Bruni	...	Museum Guide
Maurice Sonnenberg	...	Man at Wine Tasting
Thierry Hancisse	...	1920's Partygoer
Guillaume Gouix	...	1920's Partygoer
Audrey Fleurot	...	1920's Partygoer
Marie-Sohna Conde	...	1920's Partygoer (as Marie-Sohne Condé)
Yves Heck	...	Cole Porter
Alison Pill	...	Zelda Fitzgerald
Tom Hiddleston	...	F. Scott Fitzgerald

Storyline

Gil and Inez travel to Paris as a tag-along vacation on her parents' business trip. Gil is a successful Hollywood writer but is struggling on his first novel. He falls in love with the city and thinks they should move there after they get married, but Inez does not share his romantic notions of the city or the idea that the 1920s was the golden age. When Inez goes off dancing with her friends, Gil takes a walk at midnight and discovers what could be the ultimate source of inspiration for writing. Gil's daily walks at midnight in Paris could take him closer to the heart of the city but further from the woman he's about to marry.

---

Plot Keywords:

midnight | 1920s | writer | love | golden age | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Facebook [Spain]

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English French Spanish German

Release Date:

10 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Medianoche en París

Filming Locations:

Arc de Triomphe, Paris 8, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$17,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$599,003 (USA) (20 May 2011)

Gross:

$56,816,662 (USA) (16 March 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gravier Productions, Mediapro, Pontchartrain Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For Gil's difficult and demanding fiancée, Inez, Woody Allen says he had Rachel McAdams in mind as he was writing. And when he pitched her the part, he told her, "It would be much more interesting for you to play this kind of character. You don't want to go your whole life playing these beautiful girls. You want to play some bitchy parts. It's much more interesting for you."

---

Goofs

Getrude Stein refers to 'science fiction'. In the 1920s, the usual term was 'scientific romance', although Hugo Gernsback (editor of the first sf magazine, Amazing Stories, first published April 1926) unsuccessfully attempted to popularise 'scientifiction'. 'Science fiction' wasn't coined until the 1930s.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Gil: This is unbelievable! Look at this! There's no city like this in the world. There never was.
Inez: You act like you've never been here before.
Gil: I don't get here often enough, that's the problem. Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain? Imagine this town in the '20s. Paris in the '20s, in the rain. The artists and writers!
Inez: Why does every city have to be in the rain? What's wonderful about getting wet?

---

Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.19 (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"La Conga Blicoti"
Composed by A. Orefiche & André de Badet (as A. de Badet)
© Editions Coda / Heugel S.A.
Performed by Josephine Baker (as Joséphine Baker)
(P)1936 Capitol Music
Courtesy of EMI Music France

User Reviews

Allen Is Back In Fine Form

Woody Allen takes Paris and bathes it within its own glory all the while making one of his most entertaining films in decades. Great cinematography, classic music, french food, french culture and Allen's trademark humor are pure magic. You may see some of the familiar character types from other films, but they only add to the mixture. Odd man out is Owen Wilson, but somehow he sheds his B-movie past and encompasses the Woody Allen humor without mimicking Allen. The ever-evolving plot twists will have you laughing as well as entranced. This is the first Allen film (in a long time) where he doesn't pontificate about life and death, but only celebrates the present while ironically, living in two eras. This is beyond Oscar material.