Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris rigs every argument so Gil wins. His fiancée Inez is a walking eye roll, her parents are snobs on a timer, and Michael Sheen’s Paul exists so the audience can beg him to stop talking. Give Gil one real opponent and this is a classic. As is, it’s a lovely magic trick played with a stacked deck. And the trick really is lovely. Owen Wilson plays a nervous dreamer who stumbles into the Paris of the 1920s, and his laid-back drawl doing big-city worrier is oddly charming. Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dalí steal their scenes like it’s a heist. Marion Cotillard glows. The whole thing runs 94 minutes and looks like a postcard from a dream. It made $151.5 million worldwide on a reported $17M budget. A 7.3 because it’s charming and smart about nostalgia, and unfair to anyone who doesn’t agree with Gil. $582 says you tell somebody this week that you were born in the wrong decade.

What works: A sweet, clever idea about nostalgia, a gorgeous Paris and a parade of famous figures played with real fun.

What doesn’t: Inez, her parents and Paul are cardboard villains, so Gil never faces an argument the movie doesn’t rig in his favor.

Who it’s for: Book and art nerds who have ever daydreamed about hanging out with their heroes.