It's been eighteen years since Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) got off a train and spent a romantic night in Vienna together, and nine years since they reconnected in Paris. Now after dropping his son from a first marriage off at the airport, the couple, now raising twin girls, spends the final evening of their summer vacation on a Greek isle reflecting on their lives, careers, being middle aged, and the impending issues that threaten their relationship. Before Midnight is the third film in the series that began with Before Sunrise and was continued with Before Sunset, and again features a charming, intelligent film written by Richard Linklater and his two stars. I appreciated how the romanticized whimsy of the earlier films somewhat tempered here and I thought Hawke was very strong with the best scenes being when him and Delpy alone share the screen, even though she does come off as something of an exceptional pig. I think it's probably relative to say I had another bad theater experience with this movie as some old biddies sitting nearby me thought their conversation was more important than the one going on onscreen. As much as I hate to say it, I probably would have had a more meaningful experience watching this alone in the comfort of my own home.
