2 Days In New York Review

14th May 2012

Marion (Julie Delpy) and Mingus (Chris Rock) live together in New York. They each have a child from a previous relationship and are about to be descended upon by Marion’s Father, sister and sister’s lover. Cultures will clash!

The title pretty much tells you all. We follow the dramas for two days as Rock in particular tries to communicate with people he doesn’t understand and who barely understand him. But let us not forget Marion – and we have seen Marion before in a porevious film (2 Days in Paris).

Rock manages to all but steal the show though his more quiet demeanour. You can see the confusion mount up in his head from the expressions he makes. He may not always express his disdain in a vocally “Chris Rock” kind of way, but you know that this may very well be how he might accumulate the knowledge of the incident before going onto voice it late.

There is a bizarre cameo from a well known cult film-maker in regard to the film’s most bizarre plot strand. But the pay off for it is actually rather chucklesome. And if anything 2 Days has chuckles throughout it. It may not ever be hilarious (Although I have to grant a couple of moments) but it is always amusing.

Anyone familiar with different cultures coming together and being forced under one roof may get more than just the jokes and really understand how weird, bizarre and outlandish it can all seem for Rock’s character – and even from the other point of view as well about how reserved he must seem (Yes! Chris Rock – reserved!).