Culture

Rating: B-

The joy of Woody Allen films is that you always know more or less what you’re in for. Magic in the Moonlight is quintessential Allen at its most predictable.

Luckily, Colin Firth is much easier to watch than old Woody, so this film has commendable eye candy, as well as talent. Emma Stone is a wonderful character study, reminiscent of an amalgamation of Annie Hall, Hattie from Sweet and Lowdown (another Allen flick, well worth the watch, not least of all because the jazz score is perfect, and because Sean Penn is a hilarious faux guitar player) and all the other dumb, beautiful women characters that Allen seems unsurpassably skilled at writing. All his women are beautiful, naive to the point to stupidity and ravenously hungry ... literally. Allen loves a thin woman that gorges herself. I can’t help but wonder what bulimic stole his heart once upon a time. But I digress.

Magic in the Moonlight is visually stunning, reminiscent of the grandeur of Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby but less ostentatious. Set in the south of France in the 1930s, Sophie Baker (Stone) is an enthralling clairvoyant who has captivated a young millionaire and his family, and Stanley (Firth) is summoned by his old friend to debunk the young enchantress for the fake that she is, only things don’t go according to plan.

What is interesting about this film is the return to the stock characters Allen is renowned for writing. It’s the archetypes from Sleeper, but instead of being in the not-too-distant future, they’re in the past. With more recent films, like Vicky Christina Barcelona and Blue Jasmine we saw a newer side of Allen, and to his creation of character, especially his women, but I guess old habits die hard.

The well-versed theme of love against all reason is paraded out yet again; and maybe this is something to do with the fact that Allen married his stepdaughter. Best not to think about that for too long.

Basically, if you like Woody Allen films, this is one of them!