2 Days in Paris (2007)
Directed by Julie Delpy

Film Review

Having made a reasonably successful debut with Looking for Jimmy (2002), Julie Delpy confirmed her directing credentials with her follow-up feature, this edgy romantic comedy which she also wrote, produced, starred in and composed the score for.  2 Days in Paris is the antithesis of the traditional American rom-com, a perceptive analysis of a crumbling romantic relationship that is shot through with dark humour and brutal honesty.  Learning from (but not emulating) the romantic films Before Sunrise (1995) and Before Sunset (2004) which she headlined for Richard Linklater, Delpy crafts a true-to-life study of human frailty that manages to be outrageously funny in places, and downright poignant in others.

Delpy's most obvious source of inspiration is Woody Allen (specifically those unforgettable films of his middle period) - the actress seems to acknowledge as much by sporting a pair of Allen's trademark specs at the start of the film.  Annie Hall (1977) is the film that 2 Days in Paris most vividly calls to mind, and whilst Delpy's film doesn't quite attain the stark brilliance of this Woody Allen masterpiece, it is just as bold and revealing in its attempt to get to the bottom of just why two seemingly ill-matched people fall in and out of love.  Apparently, it's all to do with complementary immune systems... 

The culture clash escapades provide an enjoyable garnish (only a French ex-pat like Delpy could mock the French so mercilessly as we find here), but the meat of this particular truffle-studded dish is the sparky relationship between the two main characters Marion and Jack, played by Delpy herself and Adam Goldberg, suitably cast as the gloomy American whose experience of Paris increasingly resembles the crossing of Dante's nine circles of Hell.  Delpy cast her own parents, Marie Pillet and Albert Delpy, to play her character's maman and papa, something that brings a cosy realism to several scenes, whilst helping to make Goldberg appear even more of an outsider.

Sustained throughout by its crackling dialogue exchanges and fleeting comedic excursions into absurdity bordering on surrealism, 2 Days in Paris manages to be effortlessly funny whilst holding onto the uncomfortable truths about relationships that give it its bitter edge.  The only note of superfluity are the jarring voiceover asides, which provide an unwelcome distraction and are almost as painful to listen to as the dentist's drill.  The film not only allows Delpy to demonstrate her considerable flair as a comedic actress, but also leaves us in no doubt that she has a great future ahead of her as an auteur filmmaker.  The film's international success (both critically and commercially) resulted in a sequel, 2 Days in New York (2012), which is every bit as zany and enjoyable.

Film Synopsis

Fearing that the spark may be going out of their relationship, a New York couple, Marion and Jack, take a holiday in Venice.  The vacation proves to be anything but romantic and it is with trepidation that Jack accompanies Marion to her former home in Paris to spend a few days with her French parents.  Paris does even less to rekindle Marion and Jack's erstwhile passion than Venice and Marion is soon tying herself up in knots as she tries to explain away the countless ex-lovers she keeps running into as they tread the streets of the capital.  Marion's habit of acting on impulse leads to one embarrassing situation after another, and Jack begins to think that maybe it is time to call it a day.  They really do belong to different worlds...