Two Days in Paris
Julie Delpy directs and stars in Two Days In Paris, an indie-budget romantic comedy about a couple returning from a holiday in Italy, stopping en route to New York for the eponymous soujourn. Marion (Delpy) brings Jack (Adam Goldberg) to meet her parents – played by the director’s real-life folks, Marie Pillet and Albert Delpy – staying in a cramped bedsit above their flat. They see the sights, drink with Marion’s art friends, and generally bring their relationship crashing about their ears.
Hot on the heels of the off-beat and brutally frank Knocked Up, Two Days In Paris shows similar respect for its audience, making space for a pair of characters who are not superficially likeable. Marion is a self-doubting, neurotic hypochondriac - as is Jack. Delpy’s skill comes in making them seem almost incompatible; she presents two complex, witty, lonely people too scared of losing each other to even understand their mutual attraction. They are alternately charming and infuriating; Jack complains of migraines to avoid spending time with her family, Marion prefers to lie than confront an uncomfortable truth. It’s a difficult dynamic, but the movie makes no apologies.
Ultimately, Two Days In Paris is a movie that rewards close attention. Much of the film’s philosophy is revealed in apparently flippant, often hilarious, exchanges between the leads. In an early conversation, Marion talks about how people with different immune systems are attracted to each other - the payoff comes much later when we discover just how similar they are.
There is much to commend in the movie. Delpy shows an exciting ability to deliver the unexpected - a stand-out scene comes as Jack gets relationship advice from a teenage terrorist - while the action is given depth by an excellent supporting cast. Two Days In Paris is a sensitive, engaging and warm comedy of errors that dares to be honest.
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