2 Days in Paris

By Mal -

7 out of 10

Starring Julie Delpy and that freaky guy from Friends, this is one of those difficult relationship films that manages to be pretty good despite being really quite depressing. Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Goldman) are a couple, stopping off in Paris on their way back to the States from Italy. Being Marion's home-town, they inevitably meet lots of her old friends, her family... and her ex-lovers. Cue tension and stress. For the entire film.

It's kind of like watching a car-crash in slow motion, albeit a car crash with a liberal dose of dark humour and no severed limbs. I've read elsewhere that it's as much an exploration of cultural differences (Marion's French-cum-American vs. Jack's true-blood Yank) as a relaionship drama, but I don't buy that. Sure, cultural differences are pointed out — quite bluntly, as the French get it right in the neck — but it's the leads' personal interactions that are more to the fore.

I wouldn't recommend the film to anyone going through a difficult break-up, but if you're secure enough, it's not a bad rental.

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