Best Picture Nominees, "Midnight in Paris"

We're taking a look at each of the nine nominated films for Best Picture in this year's Oscar race, taking place in 13 days. For our next film, we have the first Best Picture nominee for Woody Allen in quite some time, "Midnight in Paris".

Woody is no stranger to the Academy Awards, although in terms of actually attending them, he's very much a stranger. Woody appreciates the recognition his films have received over the years (a total of 23 nominations, including this year's 4), but he isn't one who goes for the competition of it all. He has only appeared at the ceremony once, and that was in 2002 to introduce a video montage about movies and New York City. This year is likely to be no exception, despite the fact that this film has been the most commercially-successful of his career and also seems to present the best likelihood of a Woody Allen film taking home Best Picture since "Annie Hall" did it back in 1977.

This film opens with a four-minute musical montage of Paris, with numerous daily-life scenes playing out over the course of a day. The day begins sunny, rain comes later and then we see Paris under the lights. The title credits then roll as the first dialogue plays out, with Gil Pender (Owen Wilson, doing the best Woody Allen since Woody Allen) talking to his fiance, Inez (Rachel McAdams). Gil loves Paris and he's hoping to get inspired to finish his first novel. He even tries in vain to convince Inez that they should live in Paris. She brushes off this and says he should go back to Hollywood and write more screenplays. Meanwhile, the couple are vacationing with her wealthy parents, and they all wind up running into Inez's friend Paul (Michael Sheen) and his wife. Paul is the insufferable type to Gil, always seeming to know everything about everything when in reality not. However, Inez adores Paul and wants to have her and Gil see him all they can while in Paris.

Paul, in the scene above, is attempting to convince the museum tour guide (played by Carla Bruni, who happens to be the First Lady of France!) that her information is flawed. She doesn't argue but is pretty convinced she's right. Paul thinks otherwise. Gil just shakes his head some more while Inez backs Paul. The museum is followed by a winery and they all partake (with Paul, of course, spitting out all the wine jargon he possibly can). After they're done, Paul invites Inez and Gil to go dancing. Inez naturally accepts, but Gil decides to walk out his buzz and go back to the hotel. Unfortunately (or perhaps not), Gil gets lost and winds up on a random road when the clock strikes midnight. He then sees a vintage automobile (a 1920 Peugeot, to be precise) pull up and some partygoers invite him along. Gil hesitates a bit but ultimately takes the ride. He soon discovers he's amongst the most inexplicable party crowd he ever could imagine to be among.

After his initial shock wears off, he makes conversation with a number of people, including two who introduce themselves as Zelda and Scott. As in, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gil also discovers that playing the piano and singing Cole Porter songs is...yep, you guessed it...Cole Porter. Gil eventually accepts the fact that he's really amongst these people but still is floored when Scott offers to bring Gil and his in-progress novel to Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll). We wind up at another bar where Ernest and Gil meet up. Ernest says he doesn't read other authors' works, but he can bring Gil's novel to Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates). Gil excitedly says he'll go get the novel and come back. He exits the bar and remembers a question he wanted to ask, so he turns back...but the site of the bar is now a laundromat circa 2010.

The next day, Gil is trying to convince Inez of his trek the previous night, and he actually brings her to the place where the Peugeot pulled up. Hours pass and she finally has enough, and hops in a taxi to go back to the hotel. Gil wants to stay 10 more minutes. After the taxi leaves, Gil is trying to figure out what he hasn't done that he did yesterday. Just at that moment, the clock strikes midnight and the car arrives, and Gil realizes what piece was missing from the puzzle. Inez is gone, though, so she can't see what is happening. In the car is Hemingway, and he picks up Gil (who has his novel with him), and they go to see Gertrude Stein.

Upon meeting Stein, she is at the moment critiquing a painting by Pablo Picasso, who is naturally present. The painting is supposed to represent his girlfriend, Adriana (Marion Cotillard). Gil is immediately stricken with Adriana and the two strike up a conversation in another room a short time later. The two wind up spending a lot of time together in successive nights. Meanwhile, back in the present, Inez and her parents are wondering what Gil is up to and where he goes at night. Inez doesn't fully understand it but she seems to accept that he just walks at night to get inspired. Her father, meanwhile, hires a detective to follow him just in case. Adriana has a fling with Hemingway, and Gil is conflicted with his feelings for Adriana, not to mention trying to juggle life in 2010 versus life in the 1920's. The events that follow add a surprising layer to the time-travel plotline, and ultimately the decisions of who is happiest in what era come to light for many, including Gil and Adriana.

Critical acclaim for this film was in great abundance from the start, when the film premiered at (and, in fact, opened) the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Rob Kirkpatrick of The Huffington Post included the remark within his glowing review that "...it's as if Woody has rediscovered Woody." The critical acclaim carried over into awards season with numerous wins already (mostly for Allen's screenplay), and four Oscar nominations (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Art/Set Direction). The film cost just $17M to make but has grossed $57M in the United States and over $150M worldwide. My parents are not fans of Woody's films, and even THEY enjoyed this movie. I'm not sure that any film of the 41 films that Woody Allen has written and directed has enjoyed this level of critical and commercial success. For that reason, a Best Picture victory is not entirely out of the question.

"Midnight in Paris" is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, or can be viewed via live stream from YouTube, Amazon and other outlets.