Beware Midnight in Paris

I can so relate -- loved all the sights & scenes in the movie and happily will be in Paris in a couple weeks.

oh no, thanks for the warning! I'd better avoid it or I'll be on the next flight out!

glad we have a trip planned for November...have been wanting to see the movie for a little "fix"

If I miss the next 200 or so must see movies, I will have saved enough for my next trip to Paris. But this movie may be the one I do see to give me the willpower to miss the rest.

Glad I have my tickets for November so I can just use this movie to appease my pre Paris Depression.

I saw it over the weekend. It won't win any awards, but I absolutely loved it. Between the scenes of Paris and the whole premise, I just ate it up.

I feel your pain, jobo. Heck, the next day we watched a 7-year old Rick Steves episode on Paris just to get more, more, more! How desperate is that?

With the BIG trip being to Italy next year, not sure when we'll get back to Paris. Of course, I always tell my husband that Paris doesn't "count" as vacay - it's more like a 2nd home to me, a necessity; it's a visit, not a vacation.

Oh, thank God...I am not the only one!

I also watch old Rick Steves, Samantha Brown, etc...just for the fix...also throw in the last two episodes of Sex & the City, Everyone says I Love You, The Devil Wears Prada and I also read Paris related books.

Avalon...when are you there. We are there over Thanksgiving week.

Just saw this film...I got teary eyed at the opening! That alone was worth the movie! Loved it!

I felt just like you, jobo! Absolutely loved it, and MUST make plans, soon!

This validates my decision. Just today booked a flights to Paris for next week. Found a great rate and just went for it.

Micheline, if you don't mind me asking, from what city to Paris, and what rate? Just for comparison.

I want to go, too, now!

Montreal to Paris $654. inc. tax & fees June 30 - July 7 with Sunwing. Found it on Travelzoo.

The opening was a Valentine to Paris.
I wish there was more to the short scene of Adrian Brody playing Dali.

Anyone have a clue the spot in Paris where the scene took place at midnight -- I'm wondering if this remains one of the relatively few cobblestone streets in Paris, or whether this is simply on some backlot.

What interested me is that it appeared that this scene had the same backdrop in a scene from the movie French Postcards from 1979 where Marie France Pisier (who just died) walked before uncovering her sports car.

OK OK OK... all those of you who were in the theatre talking and whispering about your travels and you "oh, I remember this or that" and "ah, ah... yes, oohh, "
I will get my chance in about two weeks. My kids and I watched the movie in Toronto and will be in Paris soon.. so it was a good intro...it has added to the excitement!

Denise..We arrive on 31/10 after a crossing on the QM2 and a night in London. we leave Paris on the 11th and spend 4 more night in London before returning home on the 15th, so we'll miss you! Maybe next time!

Guess I loved both the movie and Paris.
Saw the movie the week I returned from a month stay in Paris and immediately started planning my next trip,if not this fall then Spring 2012

Thanks Kerouac!

I'm watching the airfares daily. Can't wait to return. Is there any other city that can make you react like Paris? I haven't found one yet. There are many that I liked, but there's only one I dream of!!!

Darn, Avalon! Kerouac, thanks for the link.

Thanks, Kerouac! We are going to the movie tonight after all this talk of Paris!

It was a lot like "The Tourist" where

Venice was the star of the show actors/plot

rather muddled typiical woody allen schtik.

Lots of familiar places for me though especially

where they picked up Owen Wilson up every night

Almost clocked a tout dude twice my size

for harrassing my wife on that spot...

worth seeing for all who love Paris and history.

Now I'm jealous....no release dates for Australia yet.

Let me see I will have to go to see Paris myself......oh yes thats right I will be there in September!!! Woohoo!!

kerouac,

Thank you for the film locations. I did not recognize St. Etienne Dumont and will have to go back and visit it again.

Loooooooooved this film!!!! It was so much fun to whisper to my DH and him back to me all the places we knew especially in the opening sequence,


Sooo glad we are just about 5 wks away from going to my fav place: PARIS!

Saw it last weekend and want to see it again!!I also came home and got right on line to check air prices!!So longing to go back and have only been home 2 months!!Am sooooo jealous of those who are going soon!

Kerouac, you da man! Great link. I read a review before I saw it that it was very "traditional" Paris, i.e. no outer arrondissements, of which I am fond. Of course, it didn't matter because I love central Paris as well. But I hadn't realized that was actually Saint-Ouen. It looked way too classy to me. Unless I am mixing up my flea markets...? or it's just that I haven't been there in years....

The Saint Ouen flea market has some very fancy areas. I think my flea market photo report from last year showed just about all of the areas: http://tinyurl.com/5rmxlk9

And for another filming location, the place they rode the carrousel is one of the coolest places in Paris, even though it is not often open to the public: http://tinyurl.com/6znmrwy

Well, after viewing the movie last night I'm glad I already have tickets booked for Paris or I would be on the computer looking to get there asap!

It really took us back to some of our favorite spots and gave a few new ones to seek out on our next visit.

jobo, you are right. You will want to be on the next plane to Paris after seeing this film!

Frankly, it is perhaps the only Woody Allen film for which I would like to see a sequel. What happens next to Owen Wilson?

Good Job Kerouac, Merci.

I think I will go tomorrow... First of three children has just graduated HS. Wonderful four years and the last month has been filled with parties and concerts and other great events. Now he is off to Spain for his second visit in 4 months - 1st as exchange student and now again to revisit the family for his graduation gift, but mom needs a trip somewhere - possibly even without kids... Hmmm. There's a thought... There needs to be an adult exchange program I think. I guess seeing the movie will be my mini get away for now...

I definitely recognized Deyrolle and St Ouen and the restaurants.

"A lot of kilometers on her odometer". Kerouac, you slay me!

I just saw this movie this afternoon, and enjoyed it and some of the scenes. I didn't like that so much of it was very yellow (especially at the beginning), not sure why they did that or what atmosphere that was supposed to produce. I could see it in the scenes that were supposed to be back in time, but I didn't understand why they opened with a lot of yellow photography. It reminded me of these sunglasses I have with yellow lenses.

My friend was complaining about the amount of French in it that wasn't translated and she didn't understand why they did that. I could actually understand all of it (for once, usually I can't understand a lot of the spoken dialogue in French films made in France), because they were speaking very clear French, and relatively slowly. I guess that's because most weren't native French speakers, but they all had pretty good sccents, I thought.

....French not being translated....speaking clear French......native French speakers..?????
what version of the movie did you see???? I saw the movie twice...English with French subtitles
in France & English in USA....Christina, please explain.

Besides everything that's already been said here, the music was fantastic! Sidney Bechet and Cole Porter! I'm glad I have my tickets for September!!!

I agree, it won't win any major awards but damn, that was a well spent 90 minutes! Talk about getting a Paris fix. We returned from Paris in May and like many others here, it made me want to book another ticket.

Honestly, I just really liked this movie WAAAAY more than I thought I would! Gorgeous scenary and it was such a fun movie!

I did read that it is the biggest Woody Allen hit in the United States in the last 25 years.

I saw the movie in the US, and of course, mainly in English. But there was some dialogue in the movie solely in French, there weren't any subtitles. Mainly by the old time characters, Kathy Bates, for example, said things in French that weren't translated, as did some other characters.

I don't know if there are two versions, but in the theater I saw, a lot of it had no subtitles when in French.

There were parts where a character spoke French and then another character would say in English the gist of what was said. That was the version I saw in the states.

I do remember that they sometimes did that, but since I understood the French I wasn't paying that much attention to what they would paraphrase back (and sometimes I think they didn't do that and sometimes it wasn't totally accurate), but it definitely wasn't subtitled in English all the time. I think Nottingham may have forgotten that there was French in it that wasn't subtitled if you saw the English language version. I know a friend of mine in Florida said the same thing to me (that she couldn't understand the French at times) and she lives in a smaller city so I imagine there was only one version released in the US.

When this sort of thing is done in a movie, it is generally to underline the fact that the main character has no idea what the people are saying either.

To clarify what I said....I saw the movie when it came out in PARIS......FRENCH subtitles for
the FRENCH audience....as the movie was,of course, in ENGLISH.
Then, when we came back to the USA, we saw it again......of course, in ENGLISH.
It was fun to see it again and NOT be distracted by the subtitles. Kerouac explains it all very well.

We're lucky enough to spend our 9th retirement summer in Paris. My French is getting better but, while I can get drunk and fat in French, the spoken word continues to elude me. We often go to the English language cinema but they seem to think that anyone in Paris speaks French well enough to not require subtitles for the French dialog. We missed a lot of the DaVinci Code because of this but, when in Rome (or Paris)... Just one more incentive to improve language skills. BTW, we LOVED the movie. I just finished looking up the scenes and tomorrow we're going to crawl the Left Bank to find the Eglise St Etienne du Mont.

Loved it! Soooo glad I have trip planned or I would really be dying!! The beginning sequence was worth the ticket price for me. I bet tourism benefits from the movie, as if Paris isn't already a top destination.

Before our last trip, I read A Movable Feast, a Coco Chanel biography and a few other Paris related books that reference the author/artist community in Paris, so it was fun to see it all come to "life"

We went to see this the other night. What a really fun picture. My husband kept whispering in my ear: We know that place....and that one..."

Enjoyed all the characters. Must have been fun to make

Midnight in Paris is in select theaters for a very short time so we're off to see this again for the umpteenth time before our upcoming Paris getaway!

Here is the website to see if it is showing in your city:

www.sonyclassics.com/midnightinparis/dates.html

Just caught up with this tread again. I have seen MIDNIGHT IN PARIS twice - had to really check out the locations second time around.


Keroauc, thanks for the link - tried to read the description en francais...

Midnight in Paris will be out on DVD Tuesday, December 20th. I haven't seen it yet (never came to my small town), but instead of renting it, I may buy it so I can get my fix whenever I'm feeling lonesome for Paris, which is frequently!

It's out on DVD sometime this month.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=midnight+in+paris+dvd&tag=googhydr-20&index=dvd&hvadid=7517839597&ref=pd_sl_4jk122ftef_e

You've all got me excited about the movie, I'm going to see it. What makes it better is that it adds to the fun part of preparing my trip next May to France and Italy. These Fodorite forums are only a recent but oh so wonderful discovery. It brightens up my day at the boring office.

Just returned from Paris in Oct. and saw the movie on the plane on the way over. It really prepared me for the city. I know how you feel about Paris as I feel the same way. This was my 2nd trip to the city and loved it even more this time than the 1st trip. I hope you get to go soon.

I finally got to see it, just finished watching it on Pay for View on TV. Oh my, I really really enjoyed this movie. This might be a spoiler for those who haven't seen it yet so don't read further if you don't wish to:









Who doesn't dream of time travel? Loved it. And we even got the Can Can - and the scene with the detective at Versailles! So much fun.

Oh..I thought I was in the Lounge. Oops. I did a search for "Midnight in Paris" and ended up here and posted.

http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/Midnight_In_Paris.html

"Midnight in Paris" is a fine travelogue for the city. But the movie itself is a big disappointment. Owen Wilson was dull (no surprise there), Rachel McAdams was a shrew (I'd long to live in another era too if she were my fiancee), the screenplay was surprisingly flat (a few mild chuckles, nothing more), and the score (that incessant guitar number throughout the film) was monotonous. The traffic jam of 1920s Paris cultural icons was amusing for a time (Gee, who will pop up next?) and kept me hoping for something more until I realized that the rush of cameos was finally the film's thin, sustaining thread. Ultimately, "Midnight in Paris" is a loving snapshot of Paris 2010 (Hence, more box office receipts for Woody than usual) and golden historical artifact for future generations, but a trifle as a movie. Compare it to an earlier Allen film that played magically with time sequences, "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and you'll see how lazy and uninspired "Midnight in Paris" is.

Hi wan,

I think you might be trying too hard to find something that isn't there

The "plot" was merely the string tying the various vignettes together.

There is no deeper meaning.

ira,

I wasn't looking for a "deeper meaning." I was looking for an enjoyable movie. I didn't find it. Others did, that's up to them. "Manhattan" began with five minutes of loving shots of the city, but it had a story and a much sharper script. "Midnight in Paris" opened with five minutes of loving shots of Paris, but, for me, it had none of the energy or wit of that movie.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I'm not a fan of Manhattan, but found Midnight In Paris fun and enjoyable.

I like both. In fact, just recently saw Manhattan on tv again. More intense movie, but doesn't make it any smarter because of that fact. Or maybe I just like to see movies to escape from reality for a few hours.

The reality of Midnight in Paris is trying to find the video. It's sold out almost everywhere in L.A. Found the last copy at the local Target this afternoon after discovering every Best Buy in town other than 2 places were completely sold out.

I didn't particularly enjoy the movie either. In fact Surfergirl, I'd be delighted to send you mine except I don't think it will play on an American machine. If you want to try it, get your address to me through the forum administrators and I'll mail it to you when I'm in the states next week.

The good thing is that I'm going back to Paris in March and will be experiencing the real thing!

Rented this movie last night and watched it after Hanukkah dinner. My mom and I saw it in the theatre but the kids had not seen it. My 9YO ooohed and aaahed at all the remembered spots from our week there. He now wants to go back as soon as we can for 2 weeks. Nothing short of that will be enough he says.

Off to roll the coins in my jar and figure out how we can get back in 2013!

The Musée des Art Forain appeared in the movie as a vision from the past. But it really exists and it is here in 2011. If anybody is in Paris right now, it is accessible to the general publc right now until January 2nd: http://tinyurl.com/2vl8mw3

Naturally I meant Musée des Arts Forains.

I bought three on Amazon.

I was glad to see this post brought up again.

Paris is our favorite place, but not being Woody Allen fans we hesitated to see the movie. Now we are sorry that we waited so long.

The scenes of Paris were enchanting and we really liked the change from the light, funny interaction with the parents to the writers & artists of the past.

I was supposed to see Midnight in Paris tomorrow night but it's not playing in the theatre we were going to, I'm disappointed. So I'll have to see it either on DVD or get pay tv. Anyway, we're going to see Tintin, and as I'm a devotee of the book I'll be looking forward to seeing that instead.

Well, if you really want to torture yourself, read The Paris Wife. Basically the same setting and timeframe and very well done. You will be craving a Paris fix even more.

(I loved Midnight in Paris but I went in knowing it would be light entertainment. I don't like Owen Wilson - his voice is irritating to me - but I loved the star of the movie - Paris.)

gruezi---you nailed it. I was trying to put a finger on what was annoying and you were right---his voice is irratating.

I also loved the star of the movie, Paris. I loved "The Paris Wife" and I also loved "The Last Time I saw Paris" the book. Even though it took place during the 2nd world war, the locations described were what Paris is all about.

I just saw the movie and loved it. I remember reading this thread and thinking how much it would hurt to watch the movie and to long for Paris. So I had to buy tickets to Paris first, before seeing the movie. The end was a bit soapy but most of it was spot on.

Agree with whoever said Woody Allen basically had picked a "mini-me" to play the part. Woody Allen's voice and mannerisms drive me crazy, so ditto the lead in this movie.

However, after I got over that and got caught up in the beauty of Paris we loved oohing and ahhing while reliving our special moments and favorite je ne sais quoi of Paris. 90 minutes of fun fluff. Is that frou frou in French???

just watched this movie last weekend, hoping it would excite me for my first trip to Paris in September...and it DID! oh my, the shots of Paris were just beautiful, even in the rain! i cannot wait.

Aaaahhh! Paris in the rain. There is a line from "On My Own", a song in "Les Miz" which says--"the pavement shines like silver."

That's what I think of when I think of Pris in the rain.

Take me away!!!

I watched it for the second time two nights ago and was still enchanted. SO saw it for the first time and was enthralled. We plan to rent it again and take it to friends' house later this month and I'm sure we'll love it again. It gets better every time we see it.

The guy who plays Hemingway is brilliant, and I love that the script for him is meant as a parody but he plays it so straight that it's a parody of a parody.

I think I could use a little Paris fix right about now too...

just 31 sleeps!

Am I the only one who thinks Owen looks and talks like Donald Trump? As I said earlier. I wish Adrian Brody had A bigger part as Dali. He resembled him.

cigalechanta-----Perfect! He does have the same mouth as Donald Trump and sounds like him.

his coloring also