I have been back and forth on Woody Allen’s movies in recent years, but “Midnight in Paris” is one of his best and most entertaining movies ever. Its overture at the beginning made me want to fly out to Paris the very next day as Allen shows the country at its most invitingly beautiful. It also taps on those familiar themes he is always contemplating like insecurity, cold feet, and the possibility of being with more than one woman. But the big thematic focus of this movie is on nostalgia and how it always seem like any period of history appears better than the one we’re currently in.

Owen Wilson plays the Woody Allen-like character of Gil Pender, a successful screenwriter on vacation in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams) and her conservative parents. Gil is serious about moving to the country for creative inspiration as it was home to many of his favorite writers. Inez however is settled on them living in Malibu, and neither she nor her pseudo-intellectual friend Paul (Michael Sheen) shares his romantic views. While walking down the street one night, the clock strikes midnight and Gil is greeted by an antique car which whisks him away with fun loving strangers drunk on champagne. It takes a bit for him to realize, but he sees that he’s been transported to the 1920s Paris.

Watching the befuddled expression on Wilson’s face when he realizes what time period he’s in is classic. Gil is greeted by a plethora of his favorite writers who have made their unforgettable mark in literary history like Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald (Allison Pill and Tom Hiddleston), and Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll). He even gets Hemingway’s agent Gertrude Stein to read the first novel he’s working on about a man working in a nostalgia shop. This is not to mention the plethora of other 1920s artists whom Gil constantly comes in contact with.

Having now seen “Midnight in Paris,” I now understand why my parents said that their friends who have watched this film 2 or 3 times already. Allen is taking us on a vivid trip of a favorite time period of his, and the love he has Paris is intoxicating to where you’re desperate to join Gil on his midnight escapades. Nothing feels false and the movie never succumbs to being a simple period piece. It is also brought to wonderful life by the terrific cast who inhabit these iconic artists without reducing them to caricatures of how historians perceive them.

Alison Pill, so memorable as the frowning female drummer in “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” is a hoot as Zelda Fitzgerald, a motor mouth writer who revels in having endless fun even when it’s at her own expense. But the performance I really liked was Corey Stoll’s as Hemingway. You can tell this is an actor who revels in playing a man as drunk on life as he is just plain drunk. Was Hemingway really like this? I don’t know and I don’t care because Stoll’s performance is full of passion, the kind Hemingway knows is his pleasure as well as his undoing through his conversations with Gil.

Marion Cotillard of “La Vie en Rose” and “Inception” fame is perfectly cast as the mistress of Picasso, Adriana. Throughout her screen time she is endlessly captivating as she forms a close bond with Gil who falls for her instantly. Her character encourages not just Gil’s but our own love for all things nostalgic, and she wants you to give in to it even as it becomes clear that there are other things more important. A lot of actors and actresses get a lot of criticism thrown at their choices of movie roles after winning an Oscar, as if we expected them to get good roles which these days are very rare, but Cotillard has continued to give one great performance after another.

I can’t remember the last movie I liked Owen Wilson so much in. He’s essentially playing a version of Woody Allen here, but he never falls into the trap of doing everything as Allen would. Wilson is endlessly whimsical, and I imagine he brought much of his own experience as a writer (he was involved in writing “Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore” among other films) to this role. Watching him as Gil, he looks like he had a blast making this movie.

There is a bit of “The Purple Rose of Cairo” and even “Vicki Cristina Barcelona” on display in “Midnight in Paris.” It’s his exploration of the nostalgia we have of things that has helped make it his biggest box office hit to date. Thinking of his script for this one made me think of a lyric from Peter Gabriel’s song “More Than This”:

“Nothing fades as fast as the future, nothing clings like the past.”

What we universally share is this biting feeling of how our present really sucks and how nice it would be to live in another time in history where the problems we have now don’t exist. Heck, I’d love to go back to the 1970s and be involved in the making of the cinematic classics directed by Robert Altman and Martin Scorsese. But there’s the rub; the past always has a rose-colored tinge to it and doesn’t always appear to us the way it really was. These days we are stuck dealing with memories we’d rather forget while focusing on a future which holds constant worries for us. Michael Sheen’s character of Paul ends up equating nostalgia with denial. He may very well be right.

I’ve been lucky to finally watch some of Allen’s greatest movies recently like “Manhattan” which looks so very beautiful in black and white. I’m also reminded of the nauseous feeling I got from his handheld camera use he on “Deconstructing Harry.” And then there was the time I fell asleep while watching “Small Time Crooks.” It’s tempting from time to time to think Woody has bit off more than he can chew and that his glory days have long since passed him by, but every once in awhile he surprises us with something so creatively invigorating that you immediately believe he hasn’t lost his touch.

“Midnight in Paris” is great fun and one of the best movies of 2011. Travelling with Woody back through time to the 1920’s is something I want to watch again real soon. It doesn’t matter how Gil got there, all that matters is that this place exists to him. Either that or this is simply his version… of the Twilight Zone (cue music).

* * * * out of * * * *

Directed by: David Frankel

Written by: Scott Frank and Don Roos

Based on the book by: John Grogan

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson

Though the book “Marley and Me” has been fairly ubiquitous the last few years (one can’t celebrate a setback in one’s life without someone recommending you give it a read), I have somehow managed to escape reading it. Well that isn’t exactly true, I know how and why I avoided reading it, and it has everything to do with the loss of my lovable, unruly dog. But for me movies about dogs are a lot harder to avoid. This is especially true when the posters for them are simple photos of sad-eyed puppies. I went to see this movie with trepidation not out of the fear that this was a bad movie, but rather because of the fear of the inevitable ending to any movie about dogs.

As far as the quality of the movie, I had nothing to worry about. The script for “Marley” was surprisingly well done with just the right amount of humor. The movie was not too cutesy or too melodramatic. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston were well cast as the frustrated couple who adopt the unbelievably bad behaved Marley. They had a nice, natural chemistry and managed to keep the dog from completely stealing the spotlight from them. What I most liked about “Marley and Me” was the way that the family dealt with the hardships of life; a little laughter and a lot of understanding. This is a lesson that a lot of people can learn, but I never seem to see in movies or real life. Life is hard, but it doesn’t have to be joyless.

Though the lessons and humor of the story originate in a book, it is the mark of a good adaptation to be able to retain the charm of its original material. The frustration with and love for Marley translates well to film, but I imagine this is likely only true for dog lovers. For those that can not appreciate the humor of losing your couch to the maw of a dog, I doubt this movie will hold much appeal for you. The truth is, in that moment you can yell at your dog. But those with dogs know that over time your love for that animal grows and does not suffer. This is the heart of “Marley and Me.” This is a lesson it captures well. Though not the best movie of the season, it is a solid effort that any dog lover can appreciate.