Magic in the Moonlight
Starring Colin Firth, Emma Stone
Directed by Woody Allen
The perpetually prolific Woody Allen returns with his 47th feature film as a director and his eighth set in Europe in the past nine years. Magic in the Moonlight transports us to the lush and lavish French Riviera in the late ‘20s as a master illusionist by the name of Stanley (Firth) is hired to go undercover and expose the young American clairvoyant Sophie (Stone) in order to uncover a possible swindle.
As with most Allen films, complications arise thanks to a staccato-like script and punchy delivery as romantic entanglements ensue. To be blunt, this is not one of the veteran filmmaker’s finest achievements and is likely to be overlooked amongst his canon of more endearing and memorable movies.
That being said, it does possess a certain amount of whimsical magic and is a cut above most romantic comedies currently being churned out by big studios.
The script seems rushed and some roles are underdeveloped, the talents of Jackie Weaver and Marcia Gay Harden are sorely underused, yet the movie is buoyed nicely by Firth’s acerbic wit and sharp tongue along with the stunning cinematography of Darius Khondji, who brings the exquisite beauty of the picturesque setting to vibrant life on screen.
The eventual chemistry between Firth and Stone works on a superficial level and the less time spent thinking about their age difference the better.
With so many films under his belt it’s no shock Woody stumbles here but Magic in the Moonlight is not without its breezy charms.
