Woody Allen has been called a filmmaking machine, churning out about one movie a year. Many times this is to the detriment of the film: he often seems to value being in production more than waiting before the script is fully developed. For him, a script is to production what a dinghy is to a yacht: it is a means to get to the main event, and it doesn't really matter if there are holes in it. This is not to say that all of Woody Allen's scripts are a flop... On the contrary, films like Annie Hall, Midnight in Paris, and Blue Jasmine, just to name a few, have been major successes. But there are still times when it is almost as if he thinks, "Hmm, this script is not quite ready yet... but, it's good enough. Let's start production!"
MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT is a perfect example of this. The script is still in its rough draft stage at best, and Colin Firth and Emma Stone, while extraordinary actors, have absolutely no chemistry as our leading man and lady in this film about logic versus mysticism.
The story unfolds in 1928, as Stanley (Colin Firth), a stern and logical magician who takes on the persona of a Chinese man during his performances, is approached by his old friend, Howard. Howard asks him to travel to the estate of the wealthy Catledge family to debunk the work of a clairvoyant/mystic, Sophie (Emma Stone), who has been invited into the family's home by Grace Catledge to contact her mother's late husband. Grace's son, Brice, is hopelessly smitten by the girl, and the whole family is in danger of being wrapped around Sophie's finger... that is, unless Stanley can prove that she's a fake. But Sophie fights back as Stanley begins testing her abilities, resulting in what should be a battle of wits laced with sexual tension... but instead, the drama seems forced, and the sexual tension is practically nonexistent. There were also a lot of moments that were probably meant to be comical, but fell flat.
It is also groan-worthy to see two actors with such an age difference paired together, in light of Allen's latest affair uproar in the news. One would think that he could at least tiptoe around that issue for a while, but apparently not. However, if you are simply watching it because you're a fan of that infamous Woody Allen style, with its meandering dialogue and similar themes.
This one ranks pretty low on my list of recommendations, but I do recognize that every film has an audience. It is now playing at the Midtown Cinema if you want to check it out.
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