Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

Knowing full well that most filmgoers know her primarily as Ethan Hawke's love interest in the BEFORE SUNRISE/BEFORE SUNSET films from director Richard Linklater, French actress Julie Delpy has made her latest film as a writer-director about a young American man (the screamingly funny Adam Goldberg) and French woman (Delpy) stopping in Paris briefly while on vacation in Europe.

At first, you think the setting is familiar having seen her in somewhat similar circumstances with Ethan Hawke, but it doesn't take long to realize that her pairing with Goldberg is about as different as, well, American and French culture. Everything about 2 DAYS IN PARIS surprised me in the most pleasant of ways, especially Delpy's witty, intelligent script, which draws from her having lived for extended periods in both France and the U.S., and being able to recognize the worst that each culture and its people have to offer.

Delpy's Marion is a professional photographer whose parents and sister (played by Delpy's actual family members) still live in Paris, so she and Jack (Goldberg) pop into the city after a vacation in Venice. Jack and Marion are not the happiest of couples who have been together for about two years and may be experiencing the early stages of a breakup. They still get along and make each other laugh, but being on her turf and all that that implies begins to stress out Jack. His biggest issues is that the two keep running into Marion's old boyfriends as they explore the city. Marion tells little white lies about how serious these men were in her life, but when the truth is discovered (usually by the men simply telling Jack the truth), it makes her look like she's had sex with half the men in Paris. The cultural divides underscore the chasms in their own relationship, which sounds terrible for them, but it's immensely funny and entertaining for us.

Delpy doesn't spare either country in her characterizations, and what makes it even more enjoyable is that she plays with perceptions and misconceptions about both cultures. America is a nation of warmongers; France is filled with sex-crazed men and racist cab drivers. Neither is completely true or totally false, but she's smart enough to weave her way through the arguments as both the writer and speaker of the dialog. I've been an Adam Goldberg fan for years, but I can't think of a time when I've enjoyed him more. And this film, more than anything else he's done, proves that the guy deserves more leading roles. His pain is funny, and his discomfort with so many of the situations in this film had me laughing out loud. To me that pretty much trumps all else: this is a comedy and it had me in stitches constantly.

There are a few surprisingly strong dramatic moments near the end of the film, and Delpy is brave enough to leave it open whether the couple will survive beyond this trip. 2 DAYS IN PARIS is an easy film to adore, and succeeds as a sparkling effort from a consummate actress who has again proved that her talents as a writer and director (she also edited and scored the film!) are just as impressive.

Capone