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2 Days in New York

5/10

Stars: Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Alex Nahon, Dylan Baker, Kate Burton, Daniel Brühl, Emily Wagner

Director: Julie Delpy

French-born Julie Delpy is developing into a female Clint Eastwood. She's director, star, editor, co-writer and composer on this piece, and even sings over the closing credits. Not that she has anything like Eastwood's stature, but her off-the-wall romantic comedy is on-off amusing and entertains well enough if you're in a tolerant mood.

Photographer Marion (Delpy) and radio host Mingus (Rock) live happily enough in Manhattan with her young son - who says 'Good night, fake daddy' - and his daughter from previous relationships, plus their cat (Max, underused following his triumph in the prequel, 2 Days in Paris).

Domestic harmony, however, is destroyed by the arrival of Marion's free-living father (Albert Delpy, her real-life père), her nympho, ultra-confrontational sister (Landeau) and sister's greasy, pot-smoking boyfriend (Nahon), who mis-translates everything and is mercifully eventually sent back to France after smoking weed outside a police station.

After a lot of catfights (regrettably not involving Max) and misunderstandings - Marion is forced to invent a brain tumour to avoid eviction - normality is restored. It's basically 96 minutes of tedium with some funny moments in between. Eastwood can rest easy.

David Quinlan

USA/France/Belgium 2012. UK Distributor: Network Releasing. Colour by L'Equipe.
96 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 1, Swearing 3.

Review date: 12 May 2012