Review: 2 Days in New York

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2 Days in New York Still Photo

Five years after Julie Delpy introduced her neurotic character Marion and her oddball family in 2 Days in Paris, the actress/writer/director reunites several of the same characters in the romantic comedy 2 Days in New York, opening in Austin this week.

Unfortunately Delpy's real-life mother Marie Pillet, who played Marion's mom in the first film, passed away in 2009. However, Delpy's father Albert Delpy returns as Marion's eccentric father Jeannot, with Alexia Landeau along as Marion's boyfriend-stealing sister Rose. Ex-boyfriend Manu (Alexandre Nahon) also makes an appearance, but he's less suave and more buffoonish than in the first film, and even fat family cat Jean-Luc makes a cameo.

Marion is no longer with her neurotic boyfriend Jack from 2 Days in Paris, and continues to live in New York with their child as well as new American boyfriend Mingus (Chris Rock) and his daughter. When Marion's family travels to New York and stays in their small apartment, cultural differences and antics by Rose and Manu threaten their previously stable home. Rose's exhibitionism and Manu's indiscreet drug buys dig the hole even deeper as Marion must deal with her photo gallery exhibit premiere. Marion's neuroses aren't as prevalent as in 2 Days in Paris, but they are most certainly triggered by Rose and Manu. 

Delpy's Marion is the central character of 2 Days in New York, as she not only is the catalyst for a heated and physical dinner argument with her sister but due to the centerpiece of her exhibit. Marion puts her soul up for auction to the highest bidder -- at a much lower price than she expected. She has second thoughts and attempts to retrieve her soul from an anonymous buyer, portrayed brilliantly by Vincent Gallo.

2 Days in New York is not as naturalistic as 2 Days in Paris, but it is a brighter and funnier film overall, perhaps due to Nahon and Landeau's contribution to the screenwriting. The cinematography and art direction is as vibrant as it can be for a portrayal of life in New York City. There is less of the interspersion of Amelie-like narration and photo montages than in the first film, but overall 2 Days in New York retains an appealing quirkiness. The trip across the Atlantic results in less French so jokes aren't quite as lost in translation as in the first film.

Although the chemistry between Delpy and both her lead actors never quite feels right, the dynamic between Adam Goldberg's Jack and Delpy's Marion was a bit more organic than that of Mingus and Marion. Rock rises to the challenge of the dry wit of Delpy's writing as he breaks out of the stereotype of funnyman, but not to that of a romantic leading man. Rock's character Mingus comes across as the sanest person -- even if it means processing issues with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Barack Obama. One of my favorite scenes involves Mingus taking Jeannot to a Thai massage parlor, where hilarity ensues as well as a discovery about Jeannot's past. Albert Delpy's performance was my favorite of this film.

2 Days in New York will appeal to a much wider audience than its predecessor, while still adhering to the standards of traditional French farces. Hopefully the cultural differences won't keep this light-hearted film constrained to the smaller markets, but Chris Rock fans may be disappointed in this departure from his stereotypical roles. Personally I'd like to see more of Rock as the straight man and even as Mingus in another 2 Days sequel.