Comedic family chaos with a
decidedly French flavor!
Fast-paced with snappy dialogue, literally a three-ring circus of irks and quirks and laughter, this charming film recalls the acerbic talent of a young Woody Allen.

Normally, suspicion of movie sequels is justifiable. But in this case, 2 Days in New York is equal to/better than Delphy's earlier hit, 2 Days in Paris. There are several reasons to check out Delphy's latest work:

Chris Rock delightlfully proves he can act and handle a substantial role, not just extensions of his stand-up routine.

Script writers Delpy and Landeau, both French women, offer a treatment of their countrymen that amusingly runs counter to most perceptions.

Julie Delpy is one of the few women directors making it in the film industry. As a writer, director, actor and vocalist, she brings an array of talent to the table.

Delpy's real father (a French veteran of stage and film) plays her on-screen father, with bittersweet moments reflecting the death of Delphy's real life mother telegraphed through the same loss on screen. Indeed, all the characters are real people, flaws and all, not normally portrayed in formulaic vanila Hollywood comedies.

The film is downright funny, combining premise, snappy dialogue and sight gags.

2 Days in New York is one of the more authentic relationship comedies to appear in years. Writer/director/star Julie Delpy (Marion) demonstrates her sharp observation of relationships and her wicked sense of humor, while comedian Chris Rock (Mingus) brilliantly plays it straight opposite Marion's outrageous family. Written by Delpy and Alexia Landeau (who plays Marion's sister Rose) 2 Days in New York lampoons stereotypes in a hilarious clash between French and American families and cultures.

Marion and Mingus are one of those couples we know but seldom see on screen. Their pasts are messy and unresolved. Their blended family isn't always so blended. Life is good for Marion, a photo-artist born in France and living in the U.S., and Mingus, an on-air radio host, and their respective children, each from previous marriages. Good until Marion's family from France descends upon them unannounced, and the couple is thrown into two days of escalating misunderstandings, cultural faux pas and mayhem.

Delpy gives us a family who are definitely not the refined French of fine wine, haute couture and a permanently arched eyebrow. They arrive like a Gallic horde: Marion's eccentrically loopy father, who speaks no English (and Mingus speaks no French); Marion's promiscuous younger sister Rose; and Marion's ex-boyfriend Manu, a pot-smoking borderline racist now dating Rose. In the midst of mounting chaos, Mingus survives by retreating to his study to "converse" with a life-sized cutout of president Barack Obama.

The ensemble of winning comedic performances bring Delpy's astute and funny writing to life, making this comedy of errors and family dynamics a fun and smart romp that is delighting audiences everywhere.

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ABOUT THE FILM

2 Days in New York
Review by Mick LaSalle, The San Francisco Chronicle

Julie Delpy's second film as a director confirms the two best indications given by her first directorial effort, 2 Days in Paris - that she has a gift for the wildly absurd and that she can direct herself. Her new film, 2 Days in New York, is a significant step forward. It's extremely funny, one of the funniest films of 2012, with a particularly winning style - far-fetched, extreme and nonstop.

There are times in 2 Days in New York when Delpy the director is managing scenes that are just short of chaos, with several characters onscreen talking simultaneously or doing something completely different from each other. Delpy shows real skill in her ability to take things to the edge, while keeping the actions clear and the comic beats crisp and clean. Comedy requires rigor, and this is a rigorous and controlled director.

She is also the first director to get a good performance out of Chris Rock - 2 Days in New York is a breakthrough for him, too. In his previous films, he has seemed, at times, either like an amateur or like a visiting celebrity trading on an audience's familiarity with him. But here he does some real acting. He's funny, but mainly he's a straight man, and he's restrained.

Delpy reprises her 2 Days in Paris role as Marion, a woman not unlike Delpy herself, born in France and living in the United States. In the last film, Marie Pillet and Albert Delpy, her real-life parents, played Marion's parents. In the years since, Marie Pillet has died, and so in 2 Days in New York, Marion's father (Albert Delpy) is a widower who comes to visit Marion and her boyfriend (Rock) in New York. He is accompanied by Marion's compulsively flirtatious sister (Alexia Landeau) and her shifty boyfriend.

Delpy's portrayal of her French relatives is a refreshing contrast from the usual American assumptions about French people, that they're refined and reserved. Delpy presents them as vulgar, obsessive, scheming and even dishonest, crazy hicks with attractive accents.
Albert Delpy particularly goes to town on the role of Marion's father, playing him as an aged Pan, or like a French Harpo Marx. Landeau, who also co-wrote the screenplay, is quite subtle and funny as Marion's resentful younger sister, who is barely conscious of her constant effort to undercut Marion and disrupt her life.

Delpy brings comical adeptness to the role of Marion, reacting to the absurdities of others. At no time is there any hint that she is directing herself - no telltale vanity, no needless self-effacement. She creates scenes that are layered with detail and full of bits. As a director, she gives the impression of never being at a loss for what to do with the actors, but rather of choosing from an excess of good ideas.

If Delpy's first film announced that she was someone capable of directing a movie, her second announces that her greatest talent might really be as a comedy director, a seriously good one.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicle's movie critic.
Enjoy his reviews online here.