Had to get that out. Goldberg caught my eye early on in his career in Dazed and Confused. He was hilarious watching Chandler sleep in Friends because it helps “calm” him. And he captured the top place forever in my heart-wrenching movie moments of all time watching him slowly die by the knife of a German soldier in Saving Private Ryan.
Goldberg is the co-star of 2 Days in Paris, my 14th entry for #52FilmsByWomen. And he is the main reason I looked forward to seeing this movie. I’d considered watching it since it came out but never followed up.
It’s likely that I didn’t jump on seeing 2 Days sooner because I am not a fan of the ‘Before’ trilogy of which Delpy had a hand in writing the latter two. Though I know most of it was Linklater. And don’t get me started on Boyhood.
Okay, I’ll go there myself. Rosanna Arquette was the only reason to stay with that ‘story’. And then, it’s not until her third act minor break down that even her character made me feel anything for any of the people who’d been dragging us along.
To me, watching Boyhood was like being stuffed in the way back of a Suburban on a southwest road trip in August with a group of unshowered people who were picked up along the way curbside and each given a role as they climbed into the truck. “You’re the mom.”
“You’re the dad.”
“You’re the kid.”
But there is no script. So, out of boredom, they all tried to think of something to say to start conversation. And when that didn’t go anywhere, they instigated arguments hoping to get the attention of the poor passengers pressed against the rear windshield sweltering from heat and aggravated by all the jabber that doesn’t mean anything. “Are we there yet?” End rant!
Back to Delpy. Coming across the DVD of 2 Days in Paris at the $1 store while I was in Ohio with Daddy, and thinking it’d been awhile since I’d seen Goldberg in anything bedsides How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I decided to go for it.
2 Days had its share of holes and not so interesting scenes, but in comparison to her portrayals in Linklater’s films, I was pleasantly surprised. Delpy’s writing and performances were more interesting, genuine, and entertaining with her at the helm than in the previously mentioned films. The humor and insecurities of her characters feel honest, not forced.
The film didn’t necessarily ‘wow’ me. And I think some of the parts I didn’t get into as much were due to cultural references.
Overall though, I appreciated the relationship between Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Goldberg), the moments when they were in it together, as well as the disagreements.
I’m still looking for something more from Delpy. But it is obvious she has a grasp on her own style of storytelling, and is able to bring women to the big screen without forcing them to be over-the-top drama queens, nor meek bystanders in their own lives. Instead, she allows them to be what most women truly are– a blend of drama and timidity and a lot of interesting characteristics in the middle.
Now I look forward to watching Delpy’s 2 Days in New York for Delpy herself, and to see how she tackled this one. I’ll be curious to see Chris Rock’s performance, since other than his standup comedy, hosting this year’s Oscars, and his voice over work, I’ve not seen him in any other movies. And certainly not in a romantic comedy.
And fortunately I don’t have to wait until I find it at the dollar store to watch it. 2 Days in New York is available on Netflix streaming so I can see it soon.
This Is My 50 