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.
I'm just glad I didn't go to see it in theaters like I wanted to. Worse than I expected.
This is a nice light harmless romance except a couple of things bug me about Colin and Emma. The age difference, as in many Woody romances, does irk me and Emma is playing her role too modernly. Also the fact that her character was obviously playing him the whole time keeps the romantic chemistry from truly blossoming. The romance only becomes convincing when he finally figures out the truth. This is not a great Woody movie but it certainly has elements that are reminiscent of other Woody movies.
Super cute and light hearted.
watched on sky in the afternoon
Fun and interesting comedy, an hour and a half that goes by smoothly. It's the usual Woody Allen film, lighthearted and cheerful, with no particular plot twists, but as simple as the film shows you. I would have preferred, however, if there had been no happy ending (but that's to be expected since Woody Allen only does happy endings).
6,5/10
From Woody Allen comes the lighthearted romantic comedy Magic in the Moonlight. The film follows renowned magician and skeptic Stanley Crawford who’s put to the test when he’s asked to debunk an American psychic named Sophie Baker whose tricks have thus far eluded a friend of his. Both Colin Firth and Emma Stone give good performances and have a bit of chemistry; thought the romance does come off as a little forced. And the story too seems a bit rushed and contrived at times. Yet it explores some interesting themes about the need for magic in our lives (whether real or fabricated). While Magic in the Moonlight is clearly one of Allen’s weaker efforts, it’s still a rather entertaining and charming film.
I know, I know. My rating is probably skewered by my interest in skepticism. However, Woody Allen did something that I am not sure I have ever seen in American cinema: he put the skeptic on trial. I absolutely loved this film but I could see how others that it was run-of-the-mill stuff from Allen. follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com
I usually like Woody Allen movies but this one was just boring, from beginning to end. It's normal that characters talk way too much in his movies (though usually it's himself talking too much), but this time it was just horrible. Also the story felt weird with too slow and too fast development alternating…
Todos esperamos que se nos aparezca alguien con superpoderes,
pero el único superpoder que va a hacer aparición lleva una guadaña.
Es simpática, visualmente muy bonita y agradable de ver. Además que está bien hecha y tiene sus toques de comedia intelectual que nunca faltan en una obra de Allen. Pero la verdad es que el argumento no cuenta nada nuevo, por lo que fácilmente queda en el olvido.
Clásica película-divertimento de Woody, muy leve pero entretenida y estupendamente interpretada y fotografiada aunque rodada un poco con piloto automático. Lo mejor, la espectacular fotografía y apuntes sueltos como el niño rico tocando el ukelele o el protagonista hablando con su tía.
Hay un punto donde la trama se revela a si misma y se dan a conocer las intenciones de los personajes antes de tiempo. Pero eso no significó una gran desventaja para la película porque los elementos que quedan sin resolver se mantienen interesantes debido a todo el tema que los rodea. Incluso uno se divierte más sabiendo lo que va a suceder, y seguro eso es debido a la gracia que contiene el guión.
Woody Allen es un experto plasmando las mismas posturas en diferentes tipos de personalidades y hablarnos de lo mismo y un poquito más simplemente cambiando de tiempo y espacio. Magic In the Moonlight (como otras películas de él) parece solo un capricho para entretenerse con otros actores utilizando un guión que probablemente escribió en una semana. Pero a la final, una comedia por año bien escrita no hace daño a nadie.
Fantastic comedy. Very intelligent and witty dialogue.
I've liked Allen's movies for a while, but this is the first one I utterly adored.
Shout by HDfanBlockedParent2014-12-28T05:49:44Z
Great