2 Days in Paris

2 Days in Paris

Julie Delpy's breezily hilarious feature follows French-born Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg), her American boyfriend (of two years), on a two-day stop through Paris, where Marion has purchased a tiny apartment one floor up from her rowdy, eccentric parents (played with great ability by Delpy's actual parents). Just passing through after an Italian getaway, the lovebirds are unprepared for the many relationship tests soon thrown their way in the notoriously romantic city. Avoiding the metro on account of Jack's terrorism fears, the couple treks about the city by foot and cabs, getting into several vicious brawls with French cabbies, waiters, and a string of men from Marion’s past. When Jack discovers how many of Marion's so called 'friends' she used to be intimate with, the trip becomes overshadowed by paranoia. This suspicion would be easy to brush off if only Jack spoke the language, or if all of Marion's exes didn't insist on multiplying.
Delpy, who penned, directed, and stars in the feature, has created a truly charming film. Thanks to clever writing and great chemistry, Delpy and Goldberg's onscreen relationship feels completely natural and genuine. Delpy saves her characters from being too precious by balancing their entertaining dialogue with human flaws. Though a story with this premise could easily veer off into a typical culture clash comedy, 2 DAYS IN PARIS moves past that to explore the problems of relationships at large in a lyrical way. While in the same general vein of the classic talk-heavy Richard Linklater film BEFORE SUNRISE, 2 DAYS IN PARIS has more in common with the film's sombre 2004 sequel, BEFORE SUNSET (which Delpy co-wrote). That said, the film counters its thoughtful scenes with lighthearted ones, so it never becomes contrived or bogged down. Like BEFORE SUNSET, 2 DAYS BEFORE PARIS leads up to a whimsical conclusion which is beautiful in its simplicity. The film pulls off what Marion, a photographer, struggles with throughout, torn between the compulsion to capture a moment on film while desiring to be really in the moment itself.