2 Days in New York

In this sequel to Julie Delpy's engaging 2007 debut romantic comedy 2 Days in Paris, photographer Marion (writer-director Delpy) has broken up with boyfriend Jack (Adam Goldberg), and is now living in America with PBS talk show host and Village Voice writer Mingus (Chris Rock), along with her darling son by Jack. The almost nonexistent plot centers on a visit by Marion's father (Albert Delpy, the filmmaker's real father), sister Rose (Alexia Landeau), and Rose's boyfriend Manu (Alex Nahon), a slimy bum who happens to be an old flame of Marion's. Presumably, viewers are meant to be amused by the boisterous antics of these noisy and grating houseguests, but watching these inconsiderate visitors embarrass Marion and Mingus in public, argue among themselves (and with their hosts), make rude and thoughtless comments, and generally act like clueless oafs is not much fun. Delpy manages a few bright lines of dialogue, but for the most part the script here is a succession of badly conceived episodes that are even more poorly executed. A disappointing follow-up to the charming original, this is not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Sundance Interviews” with director-star Julie Delpy, costar Chris Rock, co-writer/costar Alexia Landeau, and others (36 min.), interviews with Delpy (22 min.) and Rock (6 min.), an ASX TV behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing follow-up.] (F. Swietek)