The witty, natural dialogue in Julie Delpy’s “2 Days in Paris” takes it beyond its simple boy-meets-girl, boy-meets-girl’s crazy parents, boy-meets-girl’s disturbing number of old boyfriends, plot. Without the superior script by writer/director/star Delpy, who also starred in and co-wrote “Before Sunset” with Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater, this film is just “Meet the Parents” set in Paris.
However, the rapport between Delpy and costar Adam Goldberg is terrific to watch. He is hilarious as Jack, a foul-tempered, preening New York interior designer, recoiling from dubious European hygiene and cooking. He spends most of the film fuming while his girlfriend Marion (Delpy) says things he can’t understand to a parade of ex-lovers, with only their warm body language to guide him to unsavory conclusions that are not unfounded.
The highlight of all of this, however, is the wonderful scenes at Delpy’s home with her parents, played by her actual parents. Perhaps, as a filmmaker, this is cheating; nevertheless, it is great fun. Whether gorging himself on rabbit, with bits flying from his mouth with every syllable, or showing off his gleefully dirty artwork, her father exhibits a joie de vivre that is just revolting enough to be funny. Meanwhile, her mother shyly admits to an affair with Jim Morrison.
The hilarious scenes at home set the stage for the romantic drama that unfolds as the lovers attempt to relax for their two-day visit. Having witnessed the loose and lusty practices in which his girlfriend was brought up, Goldberg becomes increasingly uneasy as he meets ex after ex, each exhibiting a French openness about sex, particularly with regards to Marion.
As their vacation deteriorates, Delpy relies on somewhat hasty voiceover to tie things up. The film ran out of steam towards the end, with Delpy seemingly unable to muster the imagination she brought to creating her characters when dealing out their fates. She even almost alludes to the fact that all love stories end the same when trying to end hers. Nevertheless, the individual performances by Delpy and her gang make this an individual film, even when it cops out and follows its own rules.
“2 Days in Paris” is currently available to rent.
Taking a break from intense performances in such awards-night favorites as “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Epic Movie,” and “Van Wilder,” Kal Penn lightens things up with the film adaptation of “The Namesake,” a novel by Pulitzer prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri.
Reverse that. Suddenly revealing a serious side, he is just the most recognizable in a cast of mostly Indian actors in this extremely moving film, which bears the distinction of focusing largely on the relationships of people who are actually over 30, namely his parents, immigrants who struggle to assimilate to American culture while raising their family.
Directed by Mira Nair, who also directed the beautiful film “Monsoon Wedding” (2001) and “Vanity Fair” (2004), “The Namesake” is a multilayered story about family, class, culture and marriage. Given the exceptional source material and the talent at the helm, it is no surprise that it tackles these themes dramatically rather than didactically, and that the resulting film is so terrific. Nair once again creates a number of indelible, vivid images, but never sacrifices feeling to style.
The struggle between one generation and another is amplified when parents grow up in a culture completely different from the one in which they are raising their own children. That is why this story is specific and interesting, yet relatable and universal. It is also openly romantic on the subject of married love and the slowly growing love between a couple whose marriage was arranged is the most romantic of all.
For American audiences, that is a certain departure from the boy-meets-girl story, and the most unexpected of all.
“The Namesake” is currently available to rent.
Contact Asia Frey at afrey@lagniappemobile.com.
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