Magic in the Moonlight

"He's made more masterpieces than Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese combined, but Woody Allen films are still a gamble. It's an inevitable side effect of averaging one film a year for four decades. Amidst modern classics like Blue Jasmine and Vicky Christina Barcelona, there will inevitably be average movies (To Rome With Love and Small Time Crooks) and outright stinkers (Hollywood Ending; You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger). For steadfast Woody Allen fans like me, his off-days are rarely a chore. While there are some joys to found in Magic In The Moonlight, they're far too few to lift it out of the 'stinker' category."

"Whenever Firth and Stone are onscreen together, the movie sings; the rest of the time it’s never less than a breezy divertissement."

"One of Allen’s most charmingly conceived and performed efforts."

"Rarely [has Allen] a story on screen that manifests so little energy, so little curiosity about its own ideas and situations."

"Early on, it feels like it might become one of Allen’s best. Then the narrative direction becomes clear, the possibilities narrow, and the film shuts down along with them."

"Unapologetic mediocrity can be so refreshing when it's served by a master."

"A fugacious bit of whimsy that can only be judged minor Woody Allen."