Midnight in Paris

               Although I find it difficult to believe that all critics have been unable to pick up on any underlying themes in Midnight in Paris, I find it more difficult to believe that Woody Allen would make a purely superficial film. Batches of dialogue hint at the subtle philosophy in Midnight in Paris, and after viewing the movie with a critical eye, it is clear that this dialogue and its implications were part of a greater message Woody Allen was trying to convey, a message and allusion overlooked by critics.

               The moment in the movie when Owen Wilson is sitting on the hotel bed with his wife discussing the future of his career, whether he should continue as a “Hollywood hack” or whether he should give “real literature” a shot conveys Woody Allen’s intent the most directly. Owen Wilson is not happy with his very well-paid job as a script-writer because he feels unfulfilled and so he wants to pursue writing a novel while his wife wants him to retain his current job and “do what he does best.” It is during this discussion that Woody Allen is indirectly preaching against the infantile state Hollywood provides for us. Owen Wilson represents a thinking individual, the minority of society, restless with merely accepting a false reality and never having to think. His wife, on the other hand, represents the majority of society who would prefer to engage in “a willing suspension of disbelief” and fall into said infantile state.

               Since Owen Wilson is the protagonist we as an audience continually empathize with, and Rachel McAdams is the superficial and egotistical antagonist of sorts, it is safe to assume that we agree with Owen Wilson, and thus Woody Allen. We agree that although the infantile state available to us is comfortable, it is not fulfilling. In order to be fulfilled, we must be challenged to think for ourselves, especially in regards to cinema. Therefore, we must question all films that come before us, and the illusions they represent.