2 Days in Paris Review
by [email protected] (dnb AT dca DOT net)August 28th, 2007
2 DAYS IN PARIS
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2007 David N. Butterworth
*** (out of ****)
In "2 Days in Paris," Julie Delpy ventures behind the lens (as feature director for the first time) as well as in front of it, in her more seasoned role as actress in a small, independent movie. She also writes, edits, and provides the music, another Sofia Coppola in the making (perhaps). DelpyâeTMs fledgling feature is as funny and flirtatious as it is talky and tenuous and you can see how easily influenced she must have been by those "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" pictures she made with Richard Linklater, in which her character pretty much did what her character does here, chatting and strolling, strolling and chatting. In those films her partner was Ethan Hawke. Here, itâeTMs Adam Goldberg, another carryover from LinklaterâeTMs films ("Dazed and Confused," "Waking Life") and together he and Delpy have made, however unintentionally, the quintessential Woody Allen/Mia Farrow comedy without Woody and Mia (before they had that little spat, that is: Delpy is blonde, myopic, and a little bit ditzy; Goldberg is Jewish, neurotic, and a lot obsessed with sex). Marion and Jack are lovers on a visit to Paris (for two days) in an effort to rekindle their relationship. Unfortunately for Jack the flames which ignite tend to be MarionâeTMs old ones, causing much heated dissention and discomfort. ItâeTMs a freeform effort, lots of hand-held camerawork and, I daresay, improvisation and while DelpyâeTMs technique comes across as both amateurish and derivative in the early going her film soon finds its rhythm. "2 Days in Paris" is a minor effort but an interesting one, risquÃ(c) in places, bright and engaging in others and begs the question: whatever next?
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David N. Butterworth
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