Unfortunately I have to file Julie Delpy’s sequel to 2 Days in Paris under “Movies I Wanted To Like More Than I Actually Did.” I thought Delpy and Chris Rock, playing her live-in boyfriend, Mingus, had great chemistry together. This might be my favorite performance from Rock. He seemed more like a human being and less like a comedian given funny lines to say. You felt his suffering dealing with Marion’s (Delpy) visiting family including her father Jennot (Albert Delpy, her real father), her inappropriate sister Rose (Alexia Landeau) and her sister’s boyfriend/her ex-boyfriend Manu (Alexandre Nahon). It was almost a game to see who could make Mingus the most uncomfortable.
The movie was at its best showing the strain that Marion’s family has brought on their relationship. Mingus can’t tell if this is a temporary blip in their happy home or if he is seeing the real Marion. It all falls apart in the last third of the movie with the selling of Marion’s soul as an art piece (too hard to explain). The movie becomes a bit of a mess as Marion and her family become to silly take seriously anymore.
Still, it was good to see Rock playing a normal human being , albeit one who talks to a cutout of President Barack Obama like he’s really in the room.
