Magic in the Moonlight
Autumn 2014 Features series
Sunday, October 12, 2014 at 7:00pm
Monday, October 13, 2014 at 7:00pm
Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS
Directed by Woody Allen
Screenplay by Woody Allen
Starring Emma Stone, Natasha Andrews , Antonia Clarke, and Colin Firth
Rated PG ·
1h 37m
USA
English
Magic in the Moonlight
Following the triumphs of the Academy Award–winning Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen returns to the Continent with Magic in the Moonlight. Set on the banks of the French Riviera amidst the high society of the Roaring Twenties, this sparkling, light-hearted charmer is part May-December romance and part comedy of manners.
Wealthy, middle-aged Englishman Stanley (Academy Award winner Colin Firth, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The King’s Speech; A Single Man) is asked to visit the household of a rich socialite in the south of France in order to debunk a supposed “spiritual medium” who has the family under her spell. However, Stanley soon has his ironclad skepticism put to the test when he meets the mystic in the flesh. Sophie (Emma Stone, The Help, Gangster Squad) is a beautiful young woman who has the ability to look into a person’s eyes and tell them things about their life that no one else could possibly know. Is it all a con—or could she actually be the real thing? As séances are succeeded by picturesque drives in the country and strolls along the shoreline of this holiday paradise, Stanley’s po-faced pragmatism begins to give way to the mysteries of magic—and the thrill of romance.
Firth and Stone are perfectly matched as the stoic Stanley and the effervescent Sophie, and Allen’s masterfully light touch recalls all the pleasures of his previous classics. With its irrepressible charm and stunningly beautiful setting, Magic in the Moonlight may just have you booking a ticket to the Côte d’Azur.
“The director’s latest—a lighthearted romance set in 1920s Germany and France—won’t do much to sway proponents or detractors from their own perspectives, though taken at face value, it’s one of Allen’s most charmingly conceived and performed efforts.” (Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York)
“Whenever Firth and Stone are onscreen together, the movie sings; the rest of the time it’s never less than a breezy divertissement… France does seem to bring out the best in Allen, who has delivered one of his most beautifully made films.” (Scott Foundas, Variety)