Country: USA
Movie Review: Set in the 1920’s French Riviera, “Magic in the Moonlight” is the latest romantic comedy from prolific American director Woody Allen, who confronts reality, illusionism and spiritism, all wrapped in vivid colors, hot swing jazz, and a relaxed lightness that became inefficient to avoid turning this cinematic experience into one of his less accomplished films. Stanley Tapinger (Colin Firth) is a master English magician whose super rational character takes him to unmask Sophie Baker (Emma Stone), a psychic seen as visionary and required to conduct séances among friends. Her frequent guesses and mental vibrations seem not to convince Stanley at all, but slowly he will not only be converted to her extra-sense, as he will also fall for her. The initial moments keep us entertained but the film loses steam very soon, even before reaching its halfway. No special chemistry was felt between Firth and Stone whose performances revealed to be discolored and unstimulating, while Allen’s script continued to fall in the same ordinary gimmicks of the genre. In any circumstance, the film was able to capture my attention, and the boredom took care of me right after the interesting beginning. This rugged romantic ride, in its inability to draw any legitimate laughs, is condemned to be instantly forgotten, and sadly never delivers any magic in a moonlight that was never seen. Hopefully, Woody’s genius will come back next year. We just have to be patient.
