2 Days in Paris (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Whoever said love in gay 'ole Paris was easy? '2 Days in Paris' is a romantic dramedy written, acted, & directed by Julie Delpy. Marion & Jack (Delpy, Adam Goldberg) try to put the spark back into their relationship when they visit Paris, home of her parents. Marion is a photographer (though she has awful eyesight ... Delpy also has awful eyesight in real life). Jack is an interior designer. Their intended romantic trip to Venice goes wrong when Jack is sidelined by gastroenteritis; Marion runs into a plethora of her ex-boyfriends; and things only go more downhill when they stop in at her parents place in France (played by Delpy's real mom & dad). Jack is perturbed by her over-bearing, non-English speaking, hippy parents. He's not fond of her old friends (who all seem to be sex obsessed).
Jack's also bereft at the lack of lovemaking that's been going on between himself & Marion. He's confounded by the tiny nature of French condoms. Jack's hypochondrias go into overdrive. Marion starts to doubt herself as a woman & as a good human being. Ultimately (and most importantly), Jack doesn't like Marion's flirtations with all her ex's. Is it just flirting? Or is she telling little white lies to get him off her back? Will this seemingly toxic situation result in their end? Or 'through' their arguments ... will they be able to realize that it's a relationship that needs work, but is worth fighting for?
The film is not plot driven. It's made up of these 2 people talking & arguing. For the 1st 20 minutes, it's a bit much & takes some serious getting used to. But overall, '2 Days in Paris' offers a quirky, sharp observance of 2 confused souls ... trying to figure out why things (out of nowhere) are going so wrong for them. I have to admit that I've never seen Delpy in anything before this, but she proves to me here that she's quite adept both behind the camera & in front of it. Her screenwriting is thought-provoking, and often hilarious (I believe I laughed out loud 3 times). She touches on the absurdity of the Bush administration, racial tensions in France, and the superficial reasons why Parisians hate Americans (she has a very 'oh, get over it' attitude towards her own people).
I like that although we're shown sides of Paris that we've never seen before, the focus is never on the scenery, but always on the 2 characters. As mentioned, Delpy is good. And though he's sometimes annoying, I found myself laughing at Adam Goldberg's demeanor & response to certain situations that arise. The big climactic scene uses voice-over; it's controversial, but I like how it's executed. The main negative aspect of this film is that its improvisational gabfests go on for too long. One can only listen to reckless banter for so long without having something meaningful come of it. The message of the movie is: love takes time. But whether or not you have the patience to wait-it-out is something else, altogether. '2 Days in Paris' starts slowly, but the film evolves into a fresh, intuitive take on rocky relationships.
Jack's also bereft at the lack of lovemaking that's been going on between himself & Marion. He's confounded by the tiny nature of French condoms. Jack's hypochondrias go into overdrive. Marion starts to doubt herself as a woman & as a good human being. Ultimately (and most importantly), Jack doesn't like Marion's flirtations with all her ex's. Is it just flirting? Or is she telling little white lies to get him off her back? Will this seemingly toxic situation result in their end? Or 'through' their arguments ... will they be able to realize that it's a relationship that needs work, but is worth fighting for?
The film is not plot driven. It's made up of these 2 people talking & arguing. For the 1st 20 minutes, it's a bit much & takes some serious getting used to. But overall, '2 Days in Paris' offers a quirky, sharp observance of 2 confused souls ... trying to figure out why things (out of nowhere) are going so wrong for them. I have to admit that I've never seen Delpy in anything before this, but she proves to me here that she's quite adept both behind the camera & in front of it. Her screenwriting is thought-provoking, and often hilarious (I believe I laughed out loud 3 times). She touches on the absurdity of the Bush administration, racial tensions in France, and the superficial reasons why Parisians hate Americans (she has a very 'oh, get over it' attitude towards her own people).
I like that although we're shown sides of Paris that we've never seen before, the focus is never on the scenery, but always on the 2 characters. As mentioned, Delpy is good. And though he's sometimes annoying, I found myself laughing at Adam Goldberg's demeanor & response to certain situations that arise. The big climactic scene uses voice-over; it's controversial, but I like how it's executed. The main negative aspect of this film is that its improvisational gabfests go on for too long. One can only listen to reckless banter for so long without having something meaningful come of it. The message of the movie is: love takes time. But whether or not you have the patience to wait-it-out is something else, altogether. '2 Days in Paris' starts slowly, but the film evolves into a fresh, intuitive take on rocky relationships.