US Movie Review: "Magic in the Moonlight" (2014)

Just got out of the screening for the opening film for the Summer HKIFF, Woody Allen's latest "Magic in the Moonlight".

I can't say I'm a big Woody Allen fan,  at least not since "Sleeper"....  and I thought "Midnight in Paris" was really overrated.    This film seems to be set in the same period as "Paris",  maybe Woody got a discount on the 1920's cars and furniture by repeating... 

This film is the story of a magician who is tasked with exposing a fake medium bilking a rich family out of their fortune by claiming to be able to speak to their dead relatives.    Colin Firth plays the skeptical magician and Emma Stone plays the cute medium who he's trying to unmask but can't. 

Being the hardnosed rationalist, a man of science and reason,  who doesn't believe in (actually knows there's no such thing as) super natural mumbo jumbo,  I liked Firth's character.   

I was hoping this movie would turn into more of an Agatha Christie style who-dunnit as he figures out how she's conning him and everyone else.   Actually he gets duped a bit too easily (should have stuck to the scientific method buddy!)  but I did enjoy the big reveal. 

For me the problem is that this, like "Midnight in Paris" has to wrap everything up in a sappy romantic happy ending bow at the end, which disappointed me.  :-/

I'll give it a 5/10.  Scenery is nice.