Let's clear up any misconceptions from the start, this isn't a big screen follow up to Paris Hilton's infamous 1 Night in Paris but an intelligent and funny romcom from writer-director-star Julie Delpy. Something of a labour of love, 2 Days in Paris, shot over a period of 4 weeks, shows that Paris is not just a city for lovers it's home to your ex's too.
For French photographer Marion (Julie Delpy) nothing could be closer to the truth, as she is confronted by her ex's at every turn, much to the annoyance of her American boyfriend Adam (Adam Goldberg). Having already spent time in Venice, in an attempt to revitalise their two year old relationship, any hope that this stopover in Paris will be the break they need is short lived. Racist cab drivers; overbearing parents; French cuisine at its worst; all manner of barriers push their relationship to breaking point.
It's these barriers that are key to the success of 2 Days in Paris, those that have built up between Marion and Jack and those between the two cultures; this is Meet the Parents by way of Woody Allen. Whether it's Jack bemoaning the size of French contraceptives, "Is this a kid's size condom? Do they make condom's for kids?" or his eagerness to visit Jim Morrison's grave because "I'm a huge Val Kilmer fan", Jack is every bit the American abroad. Marion and her family are his French equal, with their relaxed sexual attitudes and robust diet for animal parts that most American's wouldn't eat, they do little to put Jack's neuroses at ease.
In 1995, Julie Delpy co-starred with Ethan Hawke in Richard Linklater's cult-classic Before Sunrise, and it's sequel Before Sunset. Linklater's influence can be felt in 2 Day's relaxed, chatty, tone; evoking the chemistry of Woody Allen and Diane Keaton. Delpy and Goldberg's onscreen coupling, nymphomaniac meets hypochondriac, feels so natural you can't help but care as their relationship unravels, in spite of all the cross-cultural comedy that has gone before. The film's only fault is that having spent 2 days in Paris you'll long for more time in their company.
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