Well, we are accustomed to the annual visit to the big screen of one more Woody Allen film. A man with a huge filmography filled with great films all written and directed by him. Many of them where he is the protagonist himself. This year he presents us with another one of his comedies, the full of charm Magic in the Moonlight.
In 1928 the famous, talented and mystical Wei Ling Soo, is in the spotlight! Known throughout the world for his fantastic performances of illusionism is worshiped and idolized by many, but few know that Wei Ling Soo does not come from China or even near there... He is after all an English magician and all it does is just mere tricks. Actually, his name is Stanley and well unnoticed in day-to-day, as without his cartoonish Asian character make-believe he can not be recognized by anyone. Stanley is a rude, indelicate and super pretentious man. He don't believe in anything mysterious or hidden, since his own profession is a fraud because it makes everyone believe in what does, that actually is all a lie. Stanley doubt any activity outside of what is deemed normal and that's why he is invited by a friend to go to the South of France to unmask a young American lady who claims to be a medium, at the home of one of the wealthiest families in the area. His skepticism leads him immediately to doubt the fact that the girl has a gift, and he thinks that she is more interested in the family money than anything else. But soon strange events begin to make Mr. Stanley start questioning his own beliefs.
Magic in the Moonlight always manages to transport us in a very pleasant way to a decade full of glamour, throughout the environment. The soundtrack, the costumes, the sets and the magnificent landscapes of the South of France make the story have even more charm. The film is in part a criticism of social strata, analyzing and satirizing the high society of the time. It also refers to the very part of spirituality and religion, exploring various aspects of the beliefs of each. Fear and curiosity about what we do not know is something accepted differently by some characters in the story, which applies to every human being because each one of us has different ways and ideas to believe in whatever we want.
Colin Firth has an absolutely delightful performance! Very witty, really in Allen's style, his dialogues are really funny. It is a role that suits him very well! Emma Stone is one of the young actresses that I admire and I confess I was expecting more from her. Don't get me wrong, because her interpretation was good but I was expecting to see something different, perhaps more hilarious. Despite the fact that the performances of each one alone being solid when it comes to their scenes together, the chemistry does not seem to exist. I remember reading somewhere that the difference of ages between them took a little credibility to the romance of this story, which I think has not been the case, because the age difference does not matter, since there is a certain spark between the actors interpretation, and that does not happen here all the time and it is this inconsistency that makes it not as captivating as it should be as a whole.
Magic in the Moonlight is undoubtedly a very pleasant film that will provide you a really good time. Smart and funny, but who falls short of many other Woody Allen's films.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2014-09-05T13:02:37Z
Well, we are accustomed to the annual visit to the big screen of one more Woody Allen film. A man with a huge filmography filled with great films all written and directed by him. Many of them where he is the protagonist himself. This year he presents us with another one of his comedies, the full of charm Magic in the Moonlight.
In 1928 the famous, talented and mystical Wei Ling Soo, is in the spotlight! Known throughout the world for his fantastic performances of illusionism is worshiped and idolized by many, but few know that Wei Ling Soo does not come from China or even near there... He is after all an English magician and all it does is just mere tricks. Actually, his name is Stanley and well unnoticed in day-to-day, as without his cartoonish Asian character make-believe he can not be recognized by anyone. Stanley is a rude, indelicate and super pretentious man. He don't believe in anything mysterious or hidden, since his own profession is a fraud because it makes everyone believe in what does, that actually is all a lie. Stanley doubt any activity outside of what is deemed normal and that's why he is invited by a friend to go to the South of France to unmask a young American lady who claims to be a medium, at the home of one of the wealthiest families in the area. His skepticism leads him immediately to doubt the fact that the girl has a gift, and he thinks that she is more interested in the family money than anything else. But soon strange events begin to make Mr. Stanley start questioning his own beliefs.
Magic in the Moonlight always manages to transport us in a very pleasant way to a decade full of glamour, throughout the environment. The soundtrack, the costumes, the sets and the magnificent landscapes of the South of France make the story have even more charm. The film is in part a criticism of social strata, analyzing and satirizing the high society of the time. It also refers to the very part of spirituality and religion, exploring various aspects of the beliefs of each. Fear and curiosity about what we do not know is something accepted differently by some characters in the story, which applies to every human being because each one of us has different ways and ideas to believe in whatever we want.
Colin Firth has an absolutely delightful performance! Very witty, really in Allen's style, his dialogues are really funny. It is a role that suits him very well! Emma Stone is one of the young actresses that I admire and I confess I was expecting more from her. Don't get me wrong, because her interpretation was good but I was expecting to see something different, perhaps more hilarious. Despite the fact that the performances of each one alone being solid when it comes to their scenes together, the chemistry does not seem to exist. I remember reading somewhere that the difference of ages between them took a little credibility to the romance of this story, which I think has not been the case, because the age difference does not matter, since there is a certain spark between the actors interpretation, and that does not happen here all the time and it is this inconsistency that makes it not as captivating as it should be as a whole.
Magic in the Moonlight is undoubtedly a very pleasant film that will provide you a really good time. Smart and funny, but who falls short of many other Woody Allen's films.