Set in 1920s affluent South of France Riviera, Magic in The Moonlight is a romantic comedy about a master magician trying to expose as a fraud an irresistibly endearing clairvoyant.
Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) is the most celebrated magician of his age. He is also an ill-tempered, pompous and arrogant Englishman. He is a magician who doesn’t believe in magic, he ridicules those who believe in God and feels that those who follow the occult are “simpleminded morons”.
Nothing is quite as exciting as helping to unmask a possible swindle, so when his long lost friend Howard Burkan (Simon McBurney) tells him of an medium who appears to have hoodwinked a wealthy family with her surprisingly accurate predictions, Stanley sets off on a stunning journey through the Côte d’Azur to reach the Catledges lavish family mansion.
Cynic Stanley is startled at once when he encounters Sophie Baker (Emma Stone) who appears to have some rather outstanding psychic abilities. Sophie cradles the air with her hands and seems to unwillingly be forced to distribute information about anyone she encounters, including Stanley, who will end up querying his long-standing faith in science and reason.
What follows is an entertaining journey through breath-taking and exquisite views of the South of France, irresistible one-liners, catchy, jazzy themes and a superb, final trick. Colin Firth allows his character to travel from scepticism to lyricism and back with an outstanding performance.
Woody Allen’s fascination with the occult is once again intertwined with his reflections on destiny, mortality and his quest into the meaning of life. A period drama filled with irony, comedy and a touch of magic. Divine.
Magic in the Moonlight is out today.
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