Two Days In Paris - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

THE last time Julie Delpy found romance in Paris, she also earned an Oscar nomination for co-writing the script for Before Sunrise along with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke.

She could well repeat the trick for Two Days In Paris, a quirky, funny, emotionally honest and sometimes rude exploration of what it takes to keep a relationship going.

Delpy not only writes and stars this time but also directs, edits, scores and produces in what has to rate as a tour-de-force for the talented individual.

The film picks up as Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) arrive in the French capital after a semi-successful trip to Venice, painfully aware that the spark has gone from their relationship.

Over the ensuing two days, they attempt to sort out their feelings for each other in between hanging out with Marion’s challenging parents (Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet) and fending off the unwanted advances of her numerous ex-boyfriends.

Two Days In Paris works on numerous levels thanks to Delpy’s witty, insightful script and the obvious chemistry between the two leads.

Goldberg, in particular, rises to the challenge of a rare leading role to create an all-too human character. His Jack is an uptight, neurotic New Yorker who constantly emerges as his own worst enemy – yet for all his flaws, he’s still worth rooting for in spite of his insecurities.

Delpy, too, gives Marion plenty of emotional layering, injecting her with a witty, sometimes vulgar tongue, and a fiery sensibility. She’s just as likely to argue the toss with Jack over sexual politics as she is to pick a fight with an arrogant taxi driver over global politics.

But her wry observations are likely to provide plenty to discuss afterwards for anyone attempting to navigate their own relationship.

Strong, too, are the use of locations and supporting players – most notably, Marion’s obnoxious parents (played by Delpy’s own ma and pa) who, thanks to their near-constant interference, ensure that Jack has his work cut out to salvage his relationship.

Two Days In Paris may follow a similarly talky format to the Before Sunrise and Sunset movies but that shouldn’t deter people from seeing it – these are very different films.

Rather, audiences should revel in the rich nuances of this thoughtful journey, which mixes humour and drama to such deeply engrossing effect.

Certificate: 15
Running time: 96mins

COMMENTS

Before Sunrise was one of my favourite films and when I read the reviews for 2 Days in Paris, and discovered to what extent Julie Delpy had been involved in this film, I was very excited to see it: a French woman director, auteur, producer, editor, composer and star of her own film…quite an achievement or so the reviews led me to believe. What a disappointment!

I am half French and very much straddling the space between cultures and always interested in what the ‘exiled’ French have to observe about themselves. Delpy’s observations in this film, were the most obvious and shallow cliches imaginable. No new light or intelligent angles were presented on any debate: whether it be about the situation in France, the French, The Americans, the ‘terrorists’ or the global economy.

It was so badly written and so atrociously acted especially by Delpy, and I am bilingual so I could understand the nuances of her acting in French: this new ‘method’ of melodramatic, bordering on the hysterical, over-emotional, over-acted and completely indigestible, also witnessed recently in La Vie en Rose, seems to be popular amongst french actresses.

The whole film made me feel like I was getting a lecture from someone who had skimmed over a few daily papers and tabloid headlines, watched a little of the sensationalist TV about the ‘state of the world’ as well as too many american sitcoms and then decided they had some grand idea for a ‘cross-cultural’ credo, all that infused with a hint of philosophical thought (which never goes anywhere) about our reality and the ‘image world’.

It seemed as if Delpy had started out by writing some statements about her rather naive and uninformed political idealogy, a few cliched observations on her culture (like the fact that there are strikes all the time…yes we all know that, there is something more interesting though to deduce from it, and the french character, than just stating the obvious) and then tried to link all her unsophisticated and tedious conclusions into this film. Every quip has the most obvious subtext, even the clothes are full of messages about her simplistic politics (the guantanamo bay t-shirt, the Bush/Cheney t-shirt, etc.).

Julie, if you want to do everything, the first thing is to write a decent script, then to act it properly, to be critical and honest with yourself and to erase your own ego and constant rhetoric in order to give the viewer some point of entry into the story, the majority of the audience is not so stupid that they need to spend almost 2 hours being lectured by someone who has nothing insightful to add to the debate.

dominique    Sep 4    #

Dominique – get your head out of your ass and just enjoy the movie…

David Reilly    Sep 6    #

An excellent, witty and fantastically written film. It is a film for the sharp minded cinema go-er. Refreshingly candid, funny and a good laugh. Delpy and Goldberg deserve an award for this entertaining film.

John    Sep 6    #

Loved this refreshingly clever, sophisticated and heartfelt movie. Felt Woody Allen’s presence in Goldberg’s character. Casting was superb. Major kudos to Delpy on this marvelous film!

Sharen    Sep 15    #