Movie rating: 1 and half Star

2 Days In New York

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You have to hand it to Delpy. After her charming and funny 2007 romantic comedy 2 Days In Paris, which buzzed off Adam Goldberg's sub-Woody Allen paranoid neurosis, the French writer-director was determined not to just drum up the same plot in a different city for the sequel. That's commendable. Really. In this day and age when firing out the same old crap for a money-grabbing sequel Delpy decides to go a completely different route. That deserves a round of applause. However, fifteen minutes into this seen-this-before-a-million-times tired comedy maybe the same old crap might have been the way to go. Oops, I just threw up a bit in my mouth there.

It's five years on from the antics in Paris and Marion (Delpy) has left Jack (an absent Goldberg) despite them having a kid together and has shacked up with radio DJ Mingus (Rock), a single father recovering from a divorce (his second). Marion's father Jeannot (Delpy), sister Rose (Landau, who also co-wrote the script) and Marion's ex/Rose's current boyfriend Manu (Alexendre Nahon) show up for two days and nestle into their tiny Manhattan apartment. It's going to be the longest two days in Mingus' life, though, as the free-wheeling French don't have a lot of English and are determined to do things their way...

Watch: 2 Days In New York

If 2 Days In Paris was Woody Allen then 2 Days In New York is Adam Sandler. And a bad Adam Sandler at that - if you've seen any of the former funny man's movies in the last ten years you know how bad that can be. What we have on our hands is your typical culture clash comedy:

• There's an awkward moment between Chris Rock and Albert Delpy in a steam room.
• There's an awkward moment between Albert Delpy and a masseuse.
• There's an awkward moment when Alexendre Nahon presumes Rock has marijuana on him because he's black.
• There's an awkward moment when Nahon thinks Rock's Asian friend is Kumar from Harold & Kumar.
• There's an awkward moment when something is lost in translation.
• There's an awkward moment when the sexually free French guests have loud sex.

And so on. There are no prizes for guessing more awkward moments as it's too far too easy. But hold on - maybe you're a Chris Rock fan and are hoping that at last, given that this is an Indie movie and not inhibited by Hollywood's Appeal All catchment, he's allowed off the leash and gives the role the full gun like he does his stand up? No, there's none of that either - it's a very PG Rock we have here. Again. 2 Days In New York is a completely different in style and tone from its predecessor. Perhaps Delpy thought that it would be a bit much if she was visiting New York and ran into a multitude of Rock's exes would be too samey but at least it would have thrown up more than the rambling nonsense this is. There's a very 'TV' look to the visuals too.

Oh, and there's an awkward moment fifteen minutes in when you realise where this comedy is going. Luckily Delpy isn't around to see your face slump with disappointment.

Review by Gavin Burke | 16:44 | Thursday 10th May 2012 | Movie Review

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Comments

• Andrew

  so woody allen should have directed this one.?

  Posted 16:16 | Fri 18th May 2012

• FilmBuff76

  Here's an unexpected French fancy - Julie Delpy has returned to the comedic well from which sprung 2007's 2 Days In Paris. The basic idea of the transatlantic Franco-American culture clash remains the same though. Once again directing and starring, Delpy's Marion now has a new partner in Obama-loving Mingus (Chris Rock). When Marion's kooky and uninhibited family come to visit for 2 days, chaos breaks out as typically uptight New Yorker Mingus struggles to understand their liberated behaviour. Meanwhile, Marion is working on a photographic art project in which she pledges to sell her soul to the highest bidder (you'll never guess who, but it's an amusing, uncredited cameo from an actor of some notoriety). Casting Rock was a stroke of genius - the comedian essentially plays against-type as the straight man while everyone else lets rip with their French eccentricities. It's a frequently funny film but it veers a little too much into Woody Allen territory at times. If Delpy could pull back a little more and find her own more distinctive voice, then she has a bright future as a director. It's coming up on 9 years since Before Sunset, so here's hoping that the next time we see her is in one more film with Ethan Hawke. For now, 2 Days In New York will do just fine.

  Posted 23:48 | Fri 18th May 2012

• Linda

  Not that good a film was a bit bored with it to be honest i'd only give it a 3/10

  Posted 16:20 | Tue 19th Jun 2012

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