Magic in the Moonlight
I haven’t enjoyed a Woody Allen Movie since The Other Woman in 1988. That’s probably because I haven’t watched one of his movies since then, and because for various reasons, I didn’t want to watch one. My wife and I were hunting for a movie last night, and she was generous to go with one outside her normal taste.
Colin Firth is an actor I enjoy onscreen, though I first saw his younger brother Peter, in Equus years back. Firth the elder, plays Stanley, a master magician and illusionist, whose onstage persona is that of an “Oriental”, and behind the scenes, is a hopelessly pragmatic cynic of British lineage.
Enter Simon MacBurney, as lifetime friend and fellow magician, Bruce Catledge. Bruce is also a very successful magician, but has never acheived the peak success of pal Stanley. Early in the film, Bruce visits Stanley as Bruce has been stumped in his endeavor to unmask and discredit a “common” psychic.
Stanley, full of ego and hubris, boasts there is no such thing as psychic ability, and no such person he cannot see through. He agrees easily to accompany Bruce to the south of France, where he insists he’ll call this reportedly young and beautiful “charlatan” to account.
Braveheart’s Catherine McCormack is Stanley’s equally stodgy if feminine fiancée; Equus’ Aileen Atkins is Stanley’s endearing aunt; Erica Leerhsen & Jeremy Shamos lend a pleasant assist as the sister & brother-in-law of the psychic’s fiancé, Brice, portrayed by Hamish Linklater. Sweet matriarch Grace was effectively played by Jackie Weaver.
Emma Stone enchants as purported psychic, Sophie; Marcia Gay Harden plays her confident mother, and as I’d not seen a Woody Allen movie for a while, I was reminded how much of his philosophy issues forth from his characters. I must also be sure to state that Stone figures as important as Firth, with Atkins and MacBurney as close seconds to each.
The last “cast” member I’ll mention, is the beautiful music, including, You Do Something to Me – Cole Porter, Sweet Georgia Brown – The California Ramblers, Charleston – Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, among others. I think the Charleston tune is the one used in It’s a Wonderful Life at the graduation dance scene.
Years ago, I would jump to see the new Woody Allen movie, but Allen’s otherwise impressive directorial style sometimes overshadowed the story itself with overly chatty scriptwriting. I had not seen one of his films in years, and was pleasantly surprised that in Magic in the Moonlight, his story coalesced perfectly with no visible effort.
Magic in the Moonlight runs on all cylinders for me: It has romance, style, humor, wit, excellent writing, direction, cinematography, and acting, and the editing is perfect. It’s not a blockbuster, but a little dream of a film, and just what I needed to see.
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