2 Days In Paris (M)
Slowly recovering from a bout of food poisoning, interior designer Jack is keen to see the city%26#39;s catacombs and Jim Morrison%26#39;s grave at Pere Lachaise. %26quot;Because I%26#39;m a huge Val Kilmer fan.%26quot;
Marion however, a visually-impaired photographer, is keen to check on her apartment, her cat%26#39;s health and catch up with her friends and family.
As well as the challenge of meeting her bohemian parents (artist Dad likes to key cars parked on the sidewalk, Mum doesn%26#39;t believe in locked doors), Jack also has to contend with a string of Marion%26#39;s ex- boyfriends who keep bumping into her.
With its City of Love setting, documentation of detailed discussions and hand-held style, writer-director Delpy%26#39;s Parisenne rom-com draws inevitable comparisons with the Before Sunrise and Before Sunset double that gave her her most iconic role as an actress.
Tonally though, 2 Days is very different %26ndash; a much more cynical date movie, highlighting the dangers of a stale relationship, especially one where previous emotional and sexual baggage hasn%26#39;t been revealed or discussed.
Delpy%26#39;s nicely barbed script also focuses on the differences between the French and Americans, poking fun at both cultures in equal measure, but does start to drag and veer towards French-farce before attempting a similar open ending as in Before Sunset.
Capturing Paris without the rose-tinted hue so often afforded it by filmmakers, Delpy also throws in a few nice Amelie- esque flashbacks and montages and some other cinematic trickery, although this does break the sense of realism she appears to be trying to engender.
She and Goldberg do however make for a delightful mis-match, his Jack the kind of character you%26#39;d expect Ben Stiller to play, but without the explosive aggressive streak. Credit too to Delpy%26#39;s real parents %26ndash; Albert Delpy and Marie Pillet %26ndash; who do a great job of portraying her wacky screen father and mother.
* In English and French with English subtitles.
