Woody Allen’s fascination with France in the 1920’s seems far from over. While in Midnight in Paris, Owen Wilson’s character travels back and forth between present-day Paris and the Paris of the Jazz Age, Magic in the Moonlight is set in the south of France during the late 20’s. The experience of watching Magic in the Moonlight is in some ways similar to that of Midnight in Paris: there is a lot of jazz music, Gatsby-like costumes, and a picturesque French setting.
While the visual experience of the two films may be similar, Allen presents a very different and — as with most of his other films — original story in Magic in the Moonlight, offering a welcoming respite from the summer blockbuster films that often regurgitate familiar storylines.
Stanley (Colin Firth), a renowned illusionist and a rigid rationalist, travels to the south of France to expose a spirit medium named Sophie (Emma Stone) at the request of a magician friend. While Stanley is initially certain that Sophie, like all other people who claim to be spiritualists, is a fraud, he soon finds himself believing that her gift is real and begins to question his own worldview.
One intriguing aspect of the film is its constant juxtaposition of spirituality and logic. It seems to ask if it is worthwhile to be an unbending rationalist if that leads to a hopeless, pessimistic life, or if it is better to live a more meaningful life as a spiritualist, even if it means that we may have to believe in illusions.
While Magic in the Moonlight raises these thought-provoking questions, it also oversimplifies the spirituality versus rationality debate. Yet, that may be intentional on Allen’s part. The film is filled with humour (it is supposed to be a romantic comedy after all), thus the very questions that it raises are perhaps not to be taken all that seriously.
If there is anything close to magical in the film, then it is the performances by the lead actors. Emma Stone handles the theatrical, stereotypical character of a spirit medium nicely without making it seem ridiculous.
Colin Firth is brilliant as an arrogant rationalist. There are several moments in the film that showcase his talent, one of which is a conversation that his character has with his aunt near the end of the film. In the scene, Firth effectively juggles the various contradictions of Stanley’s character such as his wittiness, his ego, his rigid rationalism, and also his growing desire to heed something other than logical thought.
While it may not be absolutely magical, Magic in the Moonlight is still entertaining to watch. Fans of Woody Allen will not be disappointed with this film, as it possesses the aesthetic feel that is unique to Allen’s work blended with some impressive acting and several amusing moments.
