![]() ![]() If the essence of magic is a steady stream of pleasurable distraction until the mind-bending big reveal, then the sun-dappled French vistas – gorgeously photographed by cinematographer Darius Khondji – and a very able and attractive cast decked out in Jazz Age finery more than do the job. It’s a simple premise that Allen complicates with an illusionist’s expertise. ![]() Yet try as Stanley might, he’s unable to uncover her trickery, and with each new 'miracle' she performs, he falls deeper and deeper in love. His task is to debunk a self-proclaimed psychic named Sophie (Emma Stone, strong-willed and alluring), who appears to be milking a rich old widow out of every cent. Our hero, Stanley (Colin Firth, amusingly pompous), is a popular stage magician and lifetime sceptic conscripted by a colleague to travel to a lush Côte d’Azur estate. ![]() 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. The more things change, the more Woody Allen stays the same: it’s a comfort that this singular artist’s worldview remains so staunchly his own – often archaically against fashion – and that nothing seems to halt his movie-a-year pace. ![]()
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