Review: Magic in the Moonlight

Set in the late 1920s, Colin Firth plays a famed stage magician who dons the persona of Chinaman Wei Ling Soo, for his performances (very few people know Wei Ling Soo’s true identity, apparently). An old friend and friendly rival, played by Simon McBurney, pays him a visit and suggests he needs his help in debunking a supposedly psychic medium, an American girl named Sophie Baker (Emma Stone). She has apparently convinced a wealthy American family living on the French Riviera, of her abilities. Hell, even McBurney has become convinced, after being hired to debunk her himself. The famously cranky and sceptical Firth is perfectly happy to do this favour for his childhood friend, assuming it will be a breeze. Posing as a business friend of the family, he travels to meet this supposedly ‘gifted’ young woman, confident that he will see right through her cheap tricks. But then he starts to develop romantic feelings for the girl…and so logic and reason go right out the window. Is Firth being played for a sucker by a master con artist? Is Ms. Baker actually psychic? She certainly seems convincing…and awfully charming. Jacki Weaver and Hamish Linklater play the wealthy mother and her idiot ukulele-playing son (who has his own romantic designs on the American girl), Marcia Gay Harden is Ms. Baker’s mother, Eileen Atkins plays Firth’s elderly Aunt, who lives nearby, and is wise counsel.

 

Although obviously lighter and less substantial than the previous “Blue Jasmine”, this 2014 comedy is one of the better latter-day Woody Allen (“Annie Hall”, “Deconstructing Harry”, “Manhattan”) films. Once you get over a slight bit of tempestuous overacting from Colin Firth in the opening five minutes, this is good fun, if somewhat clichéd. I was worried that the story sounded like a cross between two of the writer-director’s more recent duds “Scoop” and “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger”, but it certainly eclipses both of those.

 

The very tiny Emma Stone looks way too young for Firth (She’s 25 but looks about 17-18 here to me, and 50ish Firth looks much his age), and they don’t have great romantic chemistry. However, individually they are both really good, some of Stone’s best work to date. I normally find films about psychics and séances to be corny, but Stone plays it about as free from caricature as humanly possible, under the comic circumstances. Firth is playing a little more arrogant than usual, but is otherwise very Colin Firth, and aside from that opening scene he’s terrific as usual. Excellent supporting cast too, so much so that you wish Jacki Weaver and Marcia Gay Harden were in more of the film. Meanwhile, has Roman Polanski-lookalike Simon McBurney ever given a dud performance? I think not, and Hamish Linklater plays a dope very amusingly too. Eileen Atkins, who I swear sounded like she was dubbed by Penelope Keith here, has one particularly terrific scene with Firth as well (leading to- for me at least- a wholly satisfying ending that allows the film to be both cynical/rational and romantic at the same time).

 

It’s a nice, easy-going and nostalgic film without going into idiotic fantasy like the terrible “Midnight in Paris”. It also looks absolutely stunning (Darius Khondji doesn’t go all amber filter on it like he did “Midnight in Paris”), and can I just point out that Jacki Weaver has acted in a Woody Allen film? It really does deserve to be noted. Easily the best-ever soundtrack to a Woody Allen film, too. I normally loathe Woody Allen soundtracks, but this period score is terrific. I liked this film, it’s nice, but those who are expecting another “Blue Jasmine” will be disappointed, it’s a very different, flimsier film.

 

Rating: B-