Magic In The Moonlight

For Allen, it's a lightweight. But I had a premonition that you’ll enjoy it anyway.

The most common discussion of Woody Allen’s films this Century is that there are just two kinds: masterpieces and misses. Magic In The Moonlight debunks that theory by falling somewhere in the middle. It’s a lightweight romantic film that isn’t trying to be a masterpiece.

Magic, set on the Côte d'Azur in the 1920s, stars Colin Firth as a magician and Emma Stone as a young clairvoyant. What follows is a series of magical conversations about things like spirituality, science and love. Of course, those three (sometimes) conflicting things make for good whimsical conflict.

The cinematography is elegant and the dialogue is crisp (although it is not funny like your favorite Woody Allen film is). I can imagine this film starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert; and I think that is Allen’s intent.

Simply put:  It’s not a Woody Allen comedy. It’s not a Woody Allen masterpiece. It’s simply a charming Woody Allen film.

Award potential:  Emma Stone’s character is simply too light to become one of the awarded women characters of Woody Allen.

The ten buck review: Worth ten bucks.