Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6155 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-12-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Julie Delpy, as well as a being a beautiful and talented actress, is a woman of many talents. Want the proof? Then Two Days In Paris, a warm and distinctly European-feel comedy that she also scripted and directed, is a terrific piece of evidence. It’s one of 2007’s most engaging surprises, too.

Delpy previously co-scripted the wonderful Before Sunset, and Two Days In Paris has a similar feel. The film follows Delpy’s Marion and Adam Goldberg’s Jack as they spend time in the French capital, dealing with the assortment of issues and scenarios it throws up. Given that Marion is French and Jack is American, there are cultural issues that are explored. Yet it’s a character piece at heart, and that’s where the film’s strength lies.

Because the treat with Two Days In Paris is the quality of writing. With dialogue crucial to the film’s success, Delpy’s script generates engaging conversations and characters well worth spending time with. The film itself doesn’t quite scale the heights of the aforementioned Before Sunset, but it’s the film that comes the closest since to doing so.

So if you fancy something a little off the beaten track, where character is crucial, the music is grand and the film never takes a cheap shot, then treat yourself to Two Days In Paris. And keep your eye on Julie Delpy; whether in front of or behind the camera, this is a woman with plenty to offer. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
Julie Delpy's breezily hilarious feature follows French-born Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg), her American boyfriend (of two years), on a two-day stop through Paris, where Marion has purchased a tiny apartment one floor up from her rowdy, eccentric parents (played with great ability by Delpy's actual parents). Just passing through after an Italian getaway, the lovebirds are unprepared for the many relationship tests soon thrown their way in the notoriously romantic city. Avoiding the metro on account of Jack's terrorism fears, the couple treks about the city by foot and cabs, getting into several vicious brawls with French cabbies, waiters, and a string of men from Marion’s past. When Jack discovers how many of Marion's so called 'friends' she used to be intimate with, the trip becomes overshadowed by paranoia. This suspicion would be easy to brush off if only Jack spoke the language, or if all of Marion's exes didn't insist on multiplying.
Delpy, who penned, directed, and stars in the feature, has created a truly charming film. Thanks to clever writing and great chemistry, Delpy and Goldberg's onscreen relationship feels completely natural and genuine. Delpy saves her characters from being too precious by balancing their entertaining dialogue with human flaws. Though a story with this premise could easily veer off into a typical culture clash comedy, 2 Days in Paris moves past that to explore the problems of relationships at large in a lyrical way. While in the same general vein of the classic talk-heavy Richard Linklater film Before Sunrise, 2 Days in Paris has more in common with the film's sombre 2004 sequel, Before Sunset (which Delpy co-wrote). That said, the film counters its thoughtful scenes with lighthearted ones, so it never becomes contrived or bogged down. Like Before Sunset , 2 Days in Paris leads up to a whimsical conclusion which is beautiful in its simplicity. The film pulls off what Marion, a photographer, struggles with throughout, torn between the compulsion to capture a moment on film while desiring to be really in the moment itself.

Customer Reviews

A European style comedy in English - what could possibly be better!?
I love European cinema generally, but often find that comedies (depending on the style of humour) don't work so well when you have to read subtitles (I remember being left particularly cold by French comedy "Les Visiteurs", which was a huge hit in it's native country). So discovering this little gem was an absolute joy. It was written and directed by Julie Delpy (the French Actress who is equally at home performing in English), and for this reason the film has a European sensibility, and yet is performed largely in English. Indeed, when subtitles are employed during the film, it only adds to the humour, as they are used to demonstrate the language barrier between Adam Goldberg's character and his girlfriend's parents.

At a time when "Knocked Up" and "Superbad" have been hailed as the funniest films of the year, it's a shame that this film was not recognised as such. Don't get me wrong, there's a time and a place for those other big, no brain comedies, but this film made me laugh out loud even more, and it's also smarter and wittier, with sharp dialogue throughout. And don't let that make you think that this is purely highbrow comedy either - any film that derives humour from a photo of a naked man with a balloon tied round his privates can hardly be accused of taking itself too seriously! The central premise of the film is also one that many people will be able to relate to, as with European City breaks more affordable these days, many of us have spent weekends abroad with partners, and can relate to all the potential joys and stresses that often result.

Along with writing and directing the film, Julie Delpy also stars, and wrote and performed some of the soundtrack. So I'd just like to salute you Miss Delpy for realising what was obviously a very personal project, and for making me laugh so much with one of the most memorable films of 2007. I for one won't be disappointed if you decide to write and direct again!

Dialogue
If you love George Bush, dislike fairies and blush at the mention of dangly bits, this is not for you. For everyone else, I cannot recommend this film highly enough. The dialogue was so entertaining that I actually watched it twice at the cinema. Vote democrat - watch it!

An American in Paris
A successful satire about Americans (and some Parisiens) in Paris. Woody Allen is clearly Julie Delpy's idol and it shows in this movie, but her film - and it is very much her film - is none the worse for that. The one-liners come thick and fast, so fast indeed that you can miss some of them first time around, partly because of the Franglais in which they are expressed. It is a fast-moving production and the editing, again by Delpy herself, is sharp and well-paced.