Not even a weekend in the city of love can save the emotionally fraught couple in 2 Days in Paris, said Jennie Punter in the Toronto Globe and Mail. But the film 'œbeautifully captures crucial, transitional moments in a relationship.' Julie Delpy wrote, directed, produced, scored, and stars in this tale of a French photographer who brings her American boyfriend (Adam Goldberg) home to Paris. No stranger to transcontinental romance, Delpy follows the same formula Richard Linklater did in his indie darlings Before Sunrise and Before Sunset (in which she co-starred): two 30-somethings walk and talk in the streets of Paris. But Delpy's vision isn't quite as romantic as Linklater's. 2 Days in Paris divulges more specifics about 'œhabits, tastes, personality traits, and emotional and sexual chemistry than any other film I can recall,' said Stephen Holden in The New York Times. In doing so, Delpy unveils another palpable influence: Woody Allen. Delpy and Goldberg here resemble a contemporary Annie Hall and Alvy Singer, with assured performances that make you forget they're acting. Unlike Allen, though, Delpy doesn't gloss over the truths of intimacy with a shield of witty shtick. As smart and revealing as the film is, the first-time director has perhaps set her standards too high for a maiden venture, said Chris Knight in the Toronto National Post. Where Linklater and Allen achieve a tone at once bitter and sweet, Delpy 'œloses what it is she wants to say or on what note to end the story.'
Rating: R
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