Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight is actually magical [Review]

In Woody Allen's Magic in the Moonlight, Colin Firth plays Stanley, a haughty, cynical man who has made his name debunking claims of magic and mysticism. Emma Stone is a clairvoyant who has everyone fooled. Stanley is called on to unmask Sophie, but as they get to know one another, events take a turn for the surprising.

Firth and Stone's interactions alone are worth the ticket price. But Allen adds to this a supporting cast which includes Stanley's Aunt Vanessa (Eileen Atkins) - a glorious example of an early feminist - Brice (Hamish Linklater), a ukulele-playing millionaire who is in love with Sophie, and Stanley's bumbling childhood friend Howard (Simon McBurney), who brings them all together, and a script which could have been penned by P.G. Wodehouse.

A "good" film doesn't necessarily have to be scripted so that only philosophy graduates can understand them or be CGI'd to death. Sometimes the magic comes from wonderful actors, a storyline mysterious enough to keep you guessing until the end, and such beautiful filming that you feel you're actually in, as here, the south of France, not a freezing cinema. Magic in the Moonlight is definitely one of these.