I fell in love with Paris in the spring of 2005 when I took a four day trip to the city of light while studying abroad in Spain. I went with one of my best friends from my program and just a few hours into our first day, I was enamored. Maybe it was the beauty of the Seine, the endless public gardens, the museums housing the greatest works in history, the appreciation for fashion or the shared devotion to chocolate crepes - no matter the reason, Paris and I were in love.
Earlier this year I read Paula McLain's "The Paris Wife" which combined my love of Paris with my adoration for great American writers. In the story we get to be flies on the wall in the life of Ernest Hemingway, whose real life friends include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, James Joyce and Ezra Pound.
Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" brings those same stories to the big screen, as dreams of the main character, Gil Pender, played by Owen Wilson. Gil finds himself in Paris on vacation with his insufferable fiance (played by Rachel McAdams) and her parents.
Each night he takes a long walk by himself, gets in a cab and is transported to the 1920s. In the 20s he befriends Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali and T.S. Eliot.
Gil, a writer, finds himself inspired and empowered by his Parisian dreams. He also finds himself lusting after a literal dream girl, Adriana. For those who have seen the movie, the scene where Gil discovers Adriana's journal in present day and then tries to recreate that night in the past had me laughing out loud! Adriana is played by the stunning and effortlessly sexy Marion Cotillard.
In the end, Gil's dreams light a fire within him and he decides to dump his horrible fiance, stay in Paris and see where his muses lead him. I found myself cheering from the couch!
"Midnight in Paris" has a truly all star cast: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates and Adrien Brody just to name a few. Each of the actors were cast perfectly and gave brilliant performances.
The other star of the movie, of course, is the city itself. The film made me want to book the next flight to Paris and walk the streets until I too found some new inspiration.
*Images courtesy of Hollywood.com, TheVogueVibes.com, Filmophilia.com, Guardian.co.uk, and OnlineMoviesHut.com.
