“2 Days in New York” – REVIEW

Last Updated: May 5, 2012By Tags: , ,

Filmmaker Julie Delpy’s latest opus “2 days in New York” is the sequel to 2007’s “2 days in Paris” (thankfully the film itself is more original than its recycled title). Delpy, a certified auteur, brought her own writing, directing and acting to the screen via a narrative that’s as personal as it is familiar.

Delpy’s relationship with Adam Goldberg , her love interest from “Paris,” has dissolved. She’s since moved to New York where she takes up photographer duties at the Voice; it’s there that she meets reporter and radio host Chris Rock. An affair ensues. Enter Delpy’s relatives, including her recently-widowed father (played by Delpy’s real-life father) and an over-sexed sister and her pot-smoking ex-boyfriend, all in town from the city of lights. Her French family tries to adapt to the Big Apple’s frenetic lifestyle with varying degrees of success.

The real surprise in the film is Rock, who confronts the disarray that’s unleashed (by what might be qualified as the “Gallic version of the three stooges”) completely straight-faced. In just two days the French relatives have annoyed the neighbors almost to the point of causing their own eviction, mingled with drug dealers, vandalized what they don’t understand, and eventually all get arrested. This adds pressure on Delpy, who tries to balance life en famille with the opening of an exhibit of her work. Central to Delpy’s character is her insecurity about her heft as a professional shutterbug and her self-image. Subtitles and voiceovers are wisely used to heighten plot and humor, to great effect.

“2 days in New York,” (shown as part of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival) won’t cure the common cold but it’s an entertaining romp through a great city.

 

Chris  Rock and Albert Delpy

Chris Rock and Albert Delpy

 

"ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL" (1974)