Midnight in Paris (2011)

★ 7.5 1h 34m 7,694 votes IMDb
Sign in to rate this film

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.

Midnight in Paris

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix Watch
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video Watch
Disney Plus Disney Plus Watch
Max Max Watch
Hulu Hulu Watch
Paramount Plus Paramount Plus Watch
Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus Watch
Peacock Peacock Watch
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll Watch
Tubi TV Tubi TV Free
Pluto TV Pluto TV Watch
Plex Plex Watch

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Apple TV Rent
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies Rent
Amazon Video Amazon Video Rent
YouTube YouTube Rent
Vudu Vudu Rent
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home Rent

Buy

Apple TV Apple TV Buy
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies Buy
Amazon Video Amazon Video Buy
YouTube YouTube Buy
Vudu Vudu Buy
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home Buy

Cast

Owen Wilson
Owen Wilson as Gil Age 57 · Dallas, Texas, USA Owen Cunningham Wilson (born November 18, 1968) is an American actor. He has had a long association with filmmaker Wes Anderson with whom he shared writing and acting credits for Bottle Rocket (1996),...
Rachel McAdams
Rachel McAdams as Inez Age 47 · London, Ontario, Canada Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, s...
Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein Age 77 · Memphis, Tennessee, USA Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actress and director. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Golden G...
Kurt Fuller
Kurt Fuller as John Age 72 · San Francisco, California, USA Kurt Fuller (born September 16, 1953) is an American actor. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton, California in 1971, and the University of California, Berkeley, in 1976. He is known for...
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody as Salvador Dalí Age 53 · New York City, New York, USA Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's war drama The Pianist (2002), for which he won the Academy Awa...
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni as Museum Guide Age 58 · Turin, Piedmont, Italy Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; 23 December 1967) is an Italian-French singer and fashion model. In 2008, she married Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France. Bruni was bor...

Audience Reviews

Andres Gomez 8/10 Jun 16, 2014
Really nice movie, done with a great delicacy.

Worth watching to get in love with Paris but it is also a great story of self knowledge and evolution.
Filipe Manuel Neto 8/10 Aug 02, 2022
**Magnificent, it is a love declaration for Paris.**

With this film, Woody Allen makes, in the background, a love declaration for Paris, a city he already knows very well and for which he seems to feel a great affection. In addition to the beauty of the city, especially in the opening sequence, the script revisits the history and importance of the French city, as a meeting point for artists and writers.

The film begins very well, introducing us to an American engaged couple who came to Paris on their father's business trip. From the start they seem a bit strange: she is quite frivolous and seems to feel that she is doing him a huge favor by marrying him, and it is perfectly obvious that her parents do not approve of the match; in turn, the young man is an aspiring writer who has grown tired of making Hollywood screenplays and wants to dedicate himself to writing and stay in Paris, ideas seen with disdain by the bride. However, everything will change when, after a disagreement, he walks back to the hotel and ends up having a meeting with a series of famous artists and writers from Paris in the 1920s: Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Picasso, Dali, Buñuel, Gertrude Stein and others. That is, the film starts from a basic romantic comedy situation and creates a story where time travel ends up happening in a way that seems like the character is just dreaming, or in an illusion.

Owen Wilson was impeccable in the lead role and gives us one of his best serious performances, which is no small feat. He is credible and convincing. Equally pleasant and sympathetic is Marion Cotillard, who gave life to the “soul mate” of Wilson's character, a dreamer and idealist who would rather live on a page of the past. In addition to being smart and sensitive, she is beautiful and attractive. Kathy Bates, Tom Hiddleston, Alisson Pill, Corey Stoll and Marcial Di Fonzo have given life to a series of artists and writers, each of whom played their part with aplomb and care. Rachel McAdams is good at her tiresome and irritating character.

Technically, the film is flawless. The cinematography is exquisite, has ideal light and color, sharpness and depth. The city scenes are magnificent, and it's very easy to see the movie and want it all to be real. The sets are very good, and the same can be said for the choice of filming locations, made with care and method. Comedy is very present in the film and has elements with a certain quality, being in the dialogues and puns that it thrives. The entire film has a very good rhythm, which does not tire the audience or allow us to lose sight of it. Finally, a word of appreciation for the jazz soundtrack.
misubisu 8/10 Nov 12, 2025
## **Midnight in Paris (2011) Review: A Magical, Melancholy Love Letter - 8/10**

*Midnight in Paris* is Woody Allen in his most enchantingly wistful form. It’s a film that operates on a premise of pure, unadulterated fantasy, yet it resonates with a profound and universal truth about nostalgia and the eternal human temptation to view another era as a "golden age." Perfectly directed, it balances whimsy with a sharp, intellectual core, resulting in one of Allen's most beloved and accessible late-career triumphs.

### The Premise: A Portal to the Past

Owen Wilson plays Gil, a disillusioned Hollywood screenwriter and aspiring novelist on a trip to Paris with his dismissive fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and her conservative parents. Feeling out of place in his own life, he romanticises the 1920s as the pinnacle of art and culture. Then, the magic happens: at the stroke of midnight, a vintage Peugeot picks him up and transports him to the very era he idolises, where he rubs shoulders with the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Picasso, and Gertrude Stein.

### A Perfectly Cast Gil

I often find Owen Wilson's performances a little hollow, but this one was rock solid. ** This role is a career-best for him because it harnesses his inherent qualities — the laid-back California cadence, the boyish wonder, the slightly scattered charm and makes them central to the character. He is not trying to be a classic Woody Allen surrogate; he is Gil, a genuine romantic lost in time. His wide-eyed, earnest disbelief is the audience's anchor into the fantasy. We believe his awe when meeting Cole Porter and his desperation to have his novel validated by Gertrude Stein. It's a performance filled with heart and vulnerability, making Gil a truly empathetic guide.

### Strengths and the Missing Points

The film's greatest strength is its intoxicating atmosphere. Paris is filmed as a dreamscape, glowing in the day and shimmering with mystery at night. The parade of historical figures is not just a gimmick; it's a witty, lovingly rendered celebration of artistic genius, with Corey Stoll's hilariously blunt Ernest Hemingway and Adrien Brody's scene-stealing Salvador Dalí as particular highlights.

So why an **8/10** and not a perfect score? For all its magic, the present day storyline, while intentionally grating to highlight Gil's alienation, can feel a bit one-note and cartoonish compared to the rich tapestry of the past. The ultimate lesson Gil learns — that every era has its own nostalgia — is beautifully simple, but the journey to get there, while delightful, lacks the deeper emotional complexity of Allen's very finest work.

### The Verdict

**8/10 - A Charming and Intelligent Escape**

*Midnight in Paris* is a cinematic sigh of contentment. It’s a film that understands the dreamer in all of us, offering a witty, beautifully crafted, and wonderfully performed escape. Owen Wilson is the film's secret weapon, his "rock solid" and heartfelt performance making the fantasy feel tangible and the emotional payoff genuinely satisfying. It’s a delightful, intelligent confection that leaves you with a warm glow and a sudden urge to book a trip to Paris.

Similar Movies