I saw Magic In The Moonlight on August 19, 2014!! Over the past couple of years, I've enjoyed Woody Allen's work. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Midnight In Paris, & Blue Jasmine are all movies that I consider to be really well made. I think he did a really good job with this one as well. His witty dialogue, beautiful scenery, & views on science, religion, and love were well presented. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. I felt there was something really incredible in the message of the movie.
The overall concept of this movie to me was a cynical, intelligent man that makes a living based on fraud trying to find something real in a world of deception. Colin Firth was absolutely perfect. I really find him to be a tremendous actor. He played the Stanley character's abrasive personality so well. I also loved that Allen touched on a real life entity in the history of magic when he shaped the persona of Stanley's Wei Ling Soo. There was a real English magician that masqueraded himself as a Chinese man on stage. The reason was because audiences found the Orient to be exotic. He went everywhere in character. His identity was revealed during a magic trick that went horribly wrong as he was shot. He shouted: "Oh my God! I've been shot!" He hadn't spoken any English on stage prior to that moment. Stanley's experiences in life have led him to be wary of foolishness such as magic or religion. Since he's a magician by trade, I can understand why he doesn't believe in it. He knows all the tricks. His old friend Howard hires him to find out if a psychic named Sophie (who is an American girl from Kalamazoo, Michigan) is the real deal or is she like them & lying about it.
From that moment on, we get a view of Stanley trying to figure out how Sophie knows what she does. Sophie was played by Emma Stone. Emma Stone gave one of her best performances her. She fit really well into Allen's world in my opinion. I think her and Firth, despite their age difference, showed unbelievable chemistry. Stone is one of the better actresses in Hollywood. I think when she is involved in roles like this, The Help, or Crazy, Stupid, Love, she truly excels. Stone's quirkiness really meshed well with Firth's cynicism. You can definitely tell there's something growing between them. Even Stanley's aunt, played wonderfully by Eileen Atkins, knows there is something there. It was great watching Stanley trying to figure out how Sophie is tricking him, while also presenting his humanity. He's a vulnerable man deep down that wants to believe in something. He wants to believe in magic. He needs to believe in something. Being around Sophie shows us that he's not as much of a curmudgeon as you think. Perhaps Sophie is bringing out his true core? Perhaps it's Sophie bringing out the real from beneath the exterior of the fake? That was the deep core of the movie. The more time he spends with Sophie, the more he believes in something more.
There was a good twist reminding me a little bit of The Prestige that I found fascinating regarding who swindled who. It reminds us how something real can be painful. I feel this is a reason we become enamored with a movie or book. We have to escape reality sometimes, because it's not always beautiful. The revelation shows that on the other side of the coin perhaps fantasy can protect you. Don't let reality eat you up. I feel Sophie & Stanley were able to overcome the shock from a real revelation. False pretenses brought them together initially, but as they spend more time with each other, real feelings & beliefs draw them closer together. They ended the movie on a perfect note. I think it showed they both found that aspect of realism & a belief in something more in each other.
Emma Stone & Colin Firth were a tremendous pairing. I was very impressed with their on screen chemistry...or magic. Their performances were both excellent. I found myself really enjoying this. I give it a 5/5 for great lead performances, well written dialogue, beautiful scenery, & a nice jazz soundtrack.
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