Director: Woody Allen
Rating: PG-13
Magic in the Moonlight (2014) is a witty exploration of two polarized schools of thought—the rational versus the irrational—and how they affect our own understanding of what makes us human.
The film takes place in the beautiful Côte d’Azur, French Riviera—amid Woody Allen’s most favorite jazz era—the 1920s. The nostalgic setting sets the groundwork for a beautiful picturesque canvas that embraces a kaleidoscopic view of lush, vining roses, flowery gardens with a hint of English flair, illuminated facades of elegant mansions during a Gatsby-inspired gala, and breezy beach cliffs. The film’s atmospheric qualities complement its brewing romantic aura.
Colin Firth plays Stanley Crawford—an uptight, acerbic, egotistical English intellect who indulges in Neitzche philosophical nihilism to ascertain his own personal views of a menacing universe and a soulless humanity. He is a self-proclaimed unashamed misanthrope and a condescending logician who ridicules those who find comfort in the spiritual world. He is, in short, Mr. Darcy all over again but with a snobbish and elitist intellectualism with a specific mission—that is, to debunk anything that has to do with the metaphysical world. This includes psychics, mystics, soothsayers, spiritualists, and clairvoyants.
Opposite of Firth is Emma Stone who plays the charming, young, button-eyed clairvoyant American, Sophia Baker, a metaphysical medium who has the gift of crossing over to the dearly departed world. She is a delightful and entertaining foil to the sarcastic, cynical and arrogant Stanley who scoffs at the metaphysical and is intolerant of irrational thoughts and behaviors—which intellectually inferior individuals have a tendency to do, according to Stanley.
Sophie is invited to the beautiful Catledge family manor by its matriarch, Grace, to help her connect with her departed husband, whereas Stanley is invited by his fellow illusionist and friend, Howard Burkin (Simon McBurney), to help him figure out and expose Sophie as a charlatan. Since Howard is stumped by her gift of peeking into the past lives of people she does not know through “mental vibrations,” Stanley is more than happy to be obliged to reveal Sophie’s fraudulent powers because he feels he is more than adequately equipped for this feat. Stanley is a famed illusionist who travels the world performing magical spectacles such as making an elephant disappear. As a tyrannical perfectionist, every trick and theatric needs to be impeccably timed to a science in order to fool and to awe the audience. To expose a soothsayer like Sophie requires the same scientific shrewdness and logical practicality.
Because it is a romantic comedy, the foundation of romance is set: Two people from opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum come together and engage in the typical screwball banter. But after spending time with Sophie, Stanley suddenly becomes a believer of mystics and the existence of God due to two life-changing events: first, Sophie’s supernatural ability to recall his aunt’s (Eileen Atkins) past love affair and second, his aunt’s car accident that prompts him to find solace in the power of prayer. However, these beliefs are short-lived.
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What make Allen’s uptight, intellectual protagonists more human and engaging are their clumsy contradictions. In Stanley’s case, his Achilles’ heel—his heart, is not made of stone after all, which becomes more apparent when Sophie points out his sudden transformation after he spends time with her. Although he has, indeed, engaged in the “magic “of love, he continues to reject such human foibles due to his “Mr. Darcy” pride. And when he finds out he was actually hoodwinked by Sophia and Howard in order to bruise his ego and to teach him a lesson on humility, Stanley reverts to being egotistical and faithless.
Stanley’s aunt serves as the voice of reason by shedding light on human imperfections and limitations, which indirectly quells Stanley’s arrogance. Stanley’s constant but futile and ridiculous attempts to believe that the universe can be fully explained by logic and reason are gently debunked by his aunt. By playing devil’s advocate, she also offers the most insightful resolution to Stanley’s conflicted attitude towards love, especially in terms of deciding on a romantic partner. Should he follow what logically makes sense, that is, be with someone who complements his own intellectual and logical personality in order to achieve a supposed “match made in heaven” but minus the “magic”? Or should he follow his irrational emotions and be with someone who is intellectually inferior such as Sophie where the relationship promises an exuberant life—that is, the magic itself.
The film could have still held its ground even without the romantic struggle between Stanley and Sophie. As a 21st century audience, I am not fully ready to return to a time period when it was appropriate for two lovers with a twenty-five year age difference to be linked romantically. Emma Stone and Colin Firth (although they both delivered their roles wittingly) would have been better off as each other’s cerebrally sparring nemesis as opposed to potential lovers. Allen should have kept the film as a philosophical comedy instead. Was it really necessary for Allen to show us an example of the “magic” of love even in the most unconvincing romantic couple? Perhaps it is done to reinforce the film’s title and Stanley’s supposed and awkward redemption.
Last, as Stanley is Allen’s alter ego, the film does reveal Allen’s attempt to grapple with his thoughts on the afterlife and God, especially now that that he is an aging director of 88. Perhaps this is his way of trying to reconcile his own ambivalence towards being a self-proclaimed atheist. As Allen continues to use his films as a platform to sound off his most befuddling questions about faith, his answers to them, however, are still not audibly clear. There is still a looming uncertainty in his divine reconciliation. Likewise, just because Stanley experiences the “magic” does not necessarily mean it is truly a gateway to faith.
August 5, 2014
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