Although it's hard to imagine the lovely Julie Delpy as a French Woody Allen, that's a fitting comparison for the funny and insightful 2 Days in Paris, which the actress (Before Sunrise) wrote, directed, and stars in (she also served as editor and composer). Jack (Adam Goldberg), a sarcastic interior decorator, and Marion (Delpy), an expatriate French photographer, stop in Paris on their way back to New York from a vacation in Venice. Over the next 48 hours their relationship is severely tested by Marion's rambunctious family, not to mention Jack's manifest insecurities, which increase following the revelation that before moving to America, Marion was hardly a wallflower. Delpy manages to give this familiar-sounding material a surprising degree of freshness, and she's willing to add some not-so-nice touches to her own character's confrontations with a nasty cab driver and an old flame, while also allowing Goldberg's neurotic Jack many of the best lines, and casting her real parents as Marion's mother and father, whose eccentricity comes across as delightfully frank rather than affected. There are a few weaknesses—including the introduction of a wispy plot thread involving a potential terrorist in the last act—but 2 Days in Paris is a mostly charming confection with a distinctive Gallic twist. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a 16-minute interview with filmmaker-star Julie Delpy, five extended scenes (13 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a small but winning extras package for a fine little film.] (F. Swietek)
2 Days in Paris
Fox, 100 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Feb. 5 Volume 23, Issue 1
2 Days in Paris
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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