2 Days In Paris

Writer/director Julie Delpy brilliantly cast herself and the underappreciated Adam Goldberg as Marion and Jack respectively, a couple en route to New York City after a long trip in Venice who take a brief detour to visit Marion's family in Paris. The decision, as it turns out, causes more than a few problems. What results is a hilarious, strangely organic talkie comedy that's something like Annie Hall by way of Before Sunset. One of the most instantly striking things about the film as it opens is how much Delpy's detached, wry narration of Marion's childhood in Paris resembles Allen's account of Alvy Singer's Coney Island upbringing living "directly beneath the Cyclone." Even more striking is the reveal of Delpy with thick-rimmed glasses and tussled hair making her look more like the Hall era Keaton than ever before. Whether it's a film purposefully rich with homage or accidentally inclusive of specific influences is uncertain, but what is definite is that Delpy has found a way to make a film with both the intellectual, savvy slyness of Allen's best work and the raw, fly on the wall fascination of the current talkie revival. Even at his best, Allen always felt like he was hiding behind a facade of Woody Allen-ism, never to (or at least not yet) make something vulnerable enough to give a perplexing realism to all the neuroses. 2 Days In Paris succeeds at doing just that.

Jack is an insecure hypochondriac. Marion is an impatient firecracker growing neurotic over the impulse to commit. We experience their lives together for two days in great detail, revealing all their quirks and tics, the good and bad and middle ground of their personalities. By the end of the film, the picture we get of each is as grippingly complete and earnest as one can hope for. Save for some forced sounding narration and perhaps running a bit too long, the film really is a joy to watch. It's humor, in particular, refreshes with an uncommon naturalism for a modern comedy. Broad gags and situational goofiness have been the most common way to entertain for decades, but when a film actually manages to make us laugh just by the simple nature of human behavior, it's a welcome relief.

The film is also a stunning testament to the charms of Delpy and Goldberg both of which deliver outstanding performances in truly humble form. Goldberg's best work is primarily found in off hand sounding comments and caustic glances. Delpy conversely works best when she's full off words, rattling off hilarious revenge speeches to cab drivers and old flames alike. Ironically, the slowest moments of the film come when the two try to share dramatic moments as a couple. We learn so much about them from the little details along the way that when they finally square off in the film's slightly disappointing second half, we already know everything they could possibly say and more. The dialogue lacks the revelatory layers of the Sunrise/Sunset series and the movie never quite reaches the heights it should, but what it does well is depict the fascinating nuances of two people with great humor and sincerity.

Grade: B+