 |
|
|
Star Ratings
 | Amazing |
 | Well good |
 | Fun |
 | Meh |
 | Rubbish |
Login
iFlicks on Twitter
| 2 Days in Paris * * * * |
 |
 |
| Written by Ivan Radford |
| Friday, 31 August 2007 00:00 |
 Director: Julie DelpyIf Woody Allen was a woman, would he still wear those thick-rimmed glasses? Julie Delpy seems to think so; in her Allen-esque piece about a young couple visiting Paris, she sports the specs as much as she spouts one-liners. An homage to the 70s heyday of Woody, 2 Days in Paris is injected with modern day angst - they stroll by the Seine as Delpy breezily dismisses her partner's worries by naively pointing out that, of course, terrorism just doesn’t happen in France. The apparent source of most anxiety is Jack (Adam Goldberg). A mix of Ben Stiller and Woody Allen, Adam is perfectly cast as the jittery and paranoid American, even getting wound up about mould in the bathroom that he assures her could be toxic. Queuing for a taxi, he sends a troupe of fellow Americans off in the wrong direction to find the Louvre. Screw national solidarity, he’s more interested in himself. Equally caught up in her own affairs, Marion (Julie Delpy) spends most of the trip bumping into her ex-lovers. “Do you speak French?” one especially creepy ex-boyfriend asks. “No” replies Jack, as the former partners proceed to flirt in his face. When they finally arrive at her family home, the bohemian family are exactly what we expect; interrogating the tourist about French literature, Marion’s dad (Albert Delpy) serves up a dead rabbit, head intact. It’s no wonder that, soon after their arrival, the couple begin to have relationship issues. From her copious copulating to his insecurity, everything goes hideously wrong. As the partnership begins to dissolve, the witty remarks spiral out of control, simultaneously straddling the line between hilarious and heart-breaking. At a restaurant, Marion strikes up an argument with an ex on a nearby table, shouting loudly in French without bothering to translate for Jack. The subtitles become more prominent, Jack feels increasingly alienated and the theme of the film emerges: communication. Even with its deaf-mute girl, Babel has got nothing on this film. Delpy and her real-life ex Goldberg complement each other brilliantly. Both intelligent, equally selfish, and neurotic to boot, their chemistry is consistently believable and funny. Despite looking like a vanity project for Delpy, 2 Days in Paris soon comes into its own as she proves to be a mature and adept writer and actress. She can even direct, keeping the film’s manic tone turned permanently to 11. At one point reeking of Diane Keaton, she feels for a pulse before hysterically screaming “I’m dead!” Delpy does it all so well that by the end you wonder why Goldberg ever broke up with her. VERDICT A tender depiction of a pre-marital crisis, 2 Days in Paris is fused together with stylish wit. You won’t know whether to laugh or cry. And that’s a good thing. |
Add your comment
|
