RoweReviews
  • Viewing Log / Reviews
  • Search
  • Ramblings
  • Contact Me

Magic In The Moonlight (2014) - Woody Allen

7/26/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Stanely Crawford is one of the most celebrated magicians in the world, though you wouldn't know it by his arrogant demeanor and overall cynicism and disgust of spiritualists.  One night, after his latest performance as his stage persona, the Chinese conjuror Wei Ling Soo, he is approached by his friend Howard, a fellow magician, who convinces Stanley to accompany him to the Cote d'Azur mansion, where a clairvoyant has convinced the wealthy owners she can speak with the dead.  With his sky-high opinion of himself in tow, Stanley sets out to expose Sophia, the clairvoyant, as a fraud, only to slowly fall in love with her.  Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight is aided by a witty script and evocations about science vs spirituality but unfortunately it fails at delivering a truly believable romance.  Colin Firth's performance is the standout of the film, a deeply cynical character whose high regard of himself is only matched by his use of sarcasm.  He is an incredibly arrogant man that is highly enjoyable to watch, intent on only believing what is rooted in fact.  What is interesting about Magic in the Moonlight is how it thematically starts off as a film pondering the rhyme and reason of our existence, commenting on the idea of faith vs. fact, only to evolve into philosophical debate of optimism vs. pessimism.  Allen confronts the idea of a world after the death with grace, almost suggesting that the difference between those that believe in a higher power are the optimists and those that don't are the pessimists.  While these ideals make the film a worthy piece of Woody Allen's film canon, Magic in the Moonlight ultimately fails because of its love story.  Everything about Stanley and Sophia's romance felt forced to me, never feeling that their budding romance was organic in the story.  Both Firth and Stone give solid performances but I had trouble simply believing Sophia's character could fall in love with Stanley, given their drastic difference in overall disposition.  There whole relationship in the film feels like a silly flirtation but nothing more, making the film's final moments feel too abrupt.  In the end, Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight is full of sharp dialogue, which makes it an entertaining ride, even if the central relationship between Sophia and Stanley ends up feeling force fed to the viewer.

Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Love of all things cinema brought me here.  

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Viewing Log / Reviews
  • Search
  • Ramblings
  • Contact Me