Where to begin. Well, being that this blog is to chronicle my development as a writer, I would think that critical lessons should apply, rather than a gushy review that I Loved It!
One of the writing lessons I’ve learned was that it’s always better to have the protagonist discover what they really really want after they’re just about to get what they thought yet wanted. This isn’t really a new lesson learned, but it’s a needed one to be reminded. And seeing on screen or on paper is a good reason to keep in mind.
The hiring of a private investigator didn’t work for me. It was probably a crucial part to add, but was done with it, didn’t contribute to the final outcome of the story rather it just provided a humorous moment at the end of the film.
All in all, I felt that the movie was about discovering that you’re not meant to be who you think you want to be. The main character has always believed that life was better in Paris during the golden age of the 1920’s. And he got to live there. But when a muse goes back to France in the 1890’s he realizes that everyone else’s sense of what’s their “favorite” time doesn’t match his which causes him to really think about how much he has lost – present time – by constantly romanticizing about the past, as is his setting in an antique shop for his novel. But he felt the need for this because of the superficial unreal existence of the present, even though he is a monetarily successful screenwriter knowing that he does hack work.
Which all leads back to my learned lesson of getting what you really needed after getting what you thought you’ve always wanted.