2 Days in Paris (2007)

Director:

Julie Delpy

Writer:

Julie Delpy (writer)

Release Date:

17 May 2007 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

He knew Paris was for lovers. He just didn't think they were all hers.

Plot:

Marion and Jack try to rekindle their relationship with a visit to Paris, home of Marion's parents -- and several of her ex-boyfriends.

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Butcher | Conspiracy Theorist | Culture Clash | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Adam Goldberg	...	Jack
Julie Delpy	...	Marion
Daniel Brühl	...	Lukas
Marie Pillet	...	Anna - Marion's Mother
Albert Delpy	...	Jeannot - Marion's Father
Aleksia Landeau	...	Rose - Marion's Sister (as Alexia Landeau)
Adan Jodorowsky	...	Mathieu
Alexandre Nahon	...	Manu (as Alex Nahon)
Charlotte Maury-Sentier	...	Robbed Lady
Vanessa Seward	...	Vanessa
Thibault De Lussy	...	Gaël
Chick Ortega	...	First Taxi Driver
Patrick Chupin	...	Taxi Driver with Jack Russel
Antar Boudache	...	Flirtatious Taxi Driver
Ludovic Berthillot	...	Racist Taxi Driver

Also Known As:

2 Tage Paris (Germany)
Deux jours à Paris (France) (literal title)
Zwei Tage Paris (Germany)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

France | Germany

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | Taiwan:PG-12 (original rating) | Sweden:Btl | Finland:K-11 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:13 | Japan:PG-12 | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Norway:10 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Tempête Sous un Crâne

Trivia:

Because of his commitment to the film Deja Vu (2006), Julie Delpy was unsure if Adam Goldberg would be available to be in her film. She was forced to push back shooting to accommodate his schedule but he eventually arrived on set, twelve hours late.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Marion tells Jack she doesn't use that thermometer in the mouth, Jack spits it out and it falls near the side wall, but Marion picks it up from the bed.

Quotes:

Jack: I'm a huge Val Kilmer fan.

Movie Connections:

References M (1931)

Soundtrack:

Lalala

Smart, funny and not for everyone

From a study of the movie poster, you might be tempted to think this is another pointless romantic movie about two lovers in France. "Oui," they will fight, love, eat croissants and find meaning. How drearily cliché.

But, surprise of surprises, "Two Days in Paris" is a very funny, very soulful and very interesting look at a slice of the life of two quite interesting characters. On the surface, Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) are two irritatingly pretentious neurotics. Both 35 and childless, they have been traveling Europe for 2 weeks, deciding to stop in Paris for a couple days to drop in on Marion's family and friends before flying home to New York. Marion is French, the child of left-wing French artists. Jack is a New Yorker, a political lefty whose shallow grasp of culture (he speaks only English, for instance) is purely American. She had aspirations to be a photographer, though (for reasons the film will make clear) her work is strictly third-class. He takes pictures of everything, but has no eye for form, color or composition.

What's fun about the film is the complexity of the relationships. To Jack's annoyance, Marion keeps bumping into her old boyfriends. And her father seems intent on humiliating or offending him and his American tastes. A dinner scene in which he is offered a rabbit's head is just hilarious. When offered carrots, he says, "So, we're going to eat the bunny's food, too?" For her part, Marion cannot understand why Jack finds her continued casual friendships with exes to be so extraordinary. And Jack, utterly clueless about the nuances (or even the surface content) of Marion's conversations, is getting paranoid that he is not being told everything. At one point, Marion is holding a violent argument with a racist cabdriver. Jack knows something is going on, but can't get past Marion's insistence that everything is fine.

I realize as I write this that I am doing no justice to the joyful sense of voyeurism that the film affords.The film is so smartly written and fast-paced that sometimes you forget you are watching a film and think you are watching dinner with Julie's real family or attending parties with her smug and artsy friends. The film is completely convincing and has a depth of heart I didn't expect. It deal with secrets and the frustration that comes from knowing another person. The language and culture barriers then act as metaphors for the inability of two people, even lovers, to inhabit another's life and experience.

"Two Days in Paris" is not for all. Marion and Jack are exemplars of the worst aspects of US and European artistic classes. Their treatment of a group of Americans on a "Da Vinci Code" tour tells you more than you want to know about the antagonisms between right and left. But their smug, knowing put downs of Bush and Cheney supporters are less political messages by the movie makers than markers of the characters' personalities. This movie about liberals does not necessarily espouse their world view. But, at heart, this is a love story, not a political drama. Secondly, since we are talking about shallow artists, there is an enormous amount of politico-sexual "art" on display in the film. While this may be offensive to the audience, its presence helps to define the characters themselves. It's not there to titillate the viewer, but to describe the actors.

Delpy, who wrote, directed, produced and acted in the movie, has made a master work that is complex, evocative, real and quite beautiful. She has captured aspects of the French national character that seem quite convincing. She has also aptly captured the emotions and dilemmas of 30-something adults who, under it all, are still looking for meaning, belonging and peace. Goldberg gave a powerful and hilarious performance. He's Ben Stiller with a soul.

If you can put up with the film's politics, you will be amply rewarded. Magnifique!