Movie Notes: 2 Days In Paris

May 7th, 2008

Two Days In Paris

starstarstarstar = 4 stars

Starring Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg
Directed by Julie Delpy

Synopsis

Marion (Julie Delpy) brings her New Yorker boyfriend Jack (Adam Goldberg) to Paris to meet her parents and rekindle their relationship. Cultural differences, Jack’s neuroses, and Marion’s various past lovers make this goal difficult.

The Good

  • Julie Delpy, the actress in Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise and After Sunset, writes, directs, acts, and co-produced this flick. Yet it doesn’t feel like an “ego” project but more a naturally flowing, improvised character study. It feels refreshingly real and not manufactured.
  • Once the film gets its groove, I found a lot to laugh at. There’s a whole middle sequence where Jack realizes everyone he meets introduces a new sex angle he’d prefer not to know about. Balloons, chickens, perverted relatives, Jim Morrison, Fascist pubic hair, and perverse instant messages. The horny-French theme itself is not funny, but watching Adam Goldberg recoil from it, is.
  • A side of Paris I certainly haven’t seen before. We see one farmer’s market, some seedy cafes, cramped apartments, and a fast food joint. Imagine visiting a foriegn country and staying with “locals” rather than doing the tourist route in hotels.
  • A confused, fat black cat used to great comic effect in several scenes.

The Bad

  • Jack is a classic self-centered whiner-complainer with constant migraines: a wet spot on a wall induces fears of black mold. While I found his insecurities funny (I’m a long time Woody Allen fan) others may find him ungrateful and intolerable, which has the potential to sink the romance.
  • As things got progessively worse for Jack and Marion, I began to wonder if they should even stay together. My consternation was only somewhat alleviated by the narrated ending.

Conclusion

Overall, I really enjoyed this flick. Some have compared it to classic Woody Allen, which I can understand, but it has two additonal assets - Julie Delpy really knows France, so her crass portrayal of the French people is more credible, and it’s informed from a woman’s perspective. The film would have been vastly different if the Jack character had written it.

It also forms an amusing counter-balance to the starry-eyed, romantic Before Sunrise / After Sunset films from Richard Linklater. This flick had more brusque, cynical bite, which I relished. Especially the cat and the balloons.

IMDB: 2 Days In Paris
Wikipedia: 2 Days In Paris
Rotten Tomatoes: 2 Days In Paris

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  • Mike
    I was reading elsewhere that Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg are real-life exes, which adds a layer of depth to this film.

    Still have yet to see it, but it looks interesting. Good to know it's actually a good movie, too, thanks for the review. :)
  • Remember when I said you should see "Paris J'Taime". I got the name wrong. This is the movie I meant. :)
  • That's funny. Well, I've already seen it and I definitely liked it :)
  • It's a nice article.I liked the video and the story also seems very interesting.
  • Pettite Lali
    I just saw this movie, after breaking up a relationship with a hypocondriac jewish form NY!I used to blame on him all the time for his shit but after this movie I saw the bitch I was myself on my onw tv screen... It's an amazing movie. I do believe they're exes, I felt completley Identified. Thanks for the review.
  • the trailer is impressingly good. You have convinced me to buy it
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