Julie Delpy is a rare triple threat, equally talented as a writer, director, and actor. And she’s bilingual, too. Such an overachiever! Her romantic comedy 2 Days in Paris is an engaging and witty escape to the City of Lights. Though it’s slightly tarnished by an overreliance on Woody Allen tropes, it’s still a lot of fun. And Paris always looks so good on film.

At 35 years old, Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) are at that stage of their two-year relationship when they’re wondering what’s next. A two-week vacation in Venice has not turned out well, and before they return to New York, they stop off in Paris, Marion’s hometown, so Jack can meet the parents and Marion can reconnect with her Parisian friends.
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The witty, natural dialogue in Julie Delpy’s “2 Days in Paris” takes it beyond its simple boy-meets-girl, boy-meets-girl’s crazy parents, boy-meets-girl’s disturbing number of old boyfriends, plot. Without the superior script by writer/director/star Delpy, who also starred in and co-wrote “Before Sunset” with Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater, this film is just “Meet the Parents” set in Paris.

However, the rapport between Delpy and costar Adam Goldberg is terrific to watch. He is hilarious as Jack, a foul-tempered, preening New York interior designer, recoiling from dubious European hygiene and cooking. He spends most of the film fuming while his girlfriend Marion (Delpy) says things he can’t understand to a parade of ex-lovers, with only their warm body language to guide him to unsavory conclusions that are not unfounded.

The highlight of all of this, however, is the wonderful scenes at Delpy’s home with her parents, played by her actual parents. Perhaps, as a filmmaker, this is cheating; nevertheless, it is great fun. Whether gorging himself on rabbit, with bits flying from his mouth with every syllable, or showing off his gleefully dirty artwork, her father exhibits a joie de vivre that is just revolting enough to be funny. Meanwhile, her mother shyly admits to an affair with Jim Morrison.

The hilarious scenes at home set the stage for the romantic drama that unfolds as the lovers attempt to relax for their two-day visit. Having witnessed the loose and lusty practices in which his girlfriend was brought up, Goldberg becomes increasingly uneasy as he meets ex after ex, each exhibiting a French openness about sex, particularly with regards to Marion.

As their vacation deteriorates, Delpy relies on somewhat hasty voiceover to tie things up. The film ran out of steam towards the end, with Delpy seemingly unable to muster the imagination she brought to creating her characters when dealing out their fates. She even almost alludes to the fact that all love stories end the same when trying to end hers. Nevertheless, the individual performances by Delpy and her gang make this an individual film, even when it cops out and follows its own rules.

Source: lagniappemobile.com>