"An ample successor to the original picture, and has enough enjoyable moments within it to make this a film worth seeing..."

There seem to be certain similarities between New York and Paris within film, as both emit a wonderfully romantic, old fashioned feeling that manages to create the perfect setting for beautifully crafted relationships. Woody Allen is a prime example of a filmmaker using both cities for such reasons, in his masterpiece Manhattan, as well as his recent picture Midnight in Paris. New York therefore feels like the perfect setting for Julie Delpy's Allen-esque sequel to her 2007 production 2 Days in Paris.

Following on from the first movie, Marion (Delpy) has broken up with Jack and is now living with her new partner Mingus (Chris Rock), along with her child Lulu (Owen Shipman) and Mingus' daughter Willow (Talen Riley). Everything is peaceful and calm and, despite the loss of Marion's mother, she is as happy as she can remember. This is all soon to change however, as her family are set to arrive from Paris.

Marion's father Jeannot (Albert Delpy), her sexually deviant sister Rose (Alexia Landeau) and Rose's partner Manu (Alex Nahon) are all coming to stay for a short while, yet their abrasive, nonchalant attitudes frustrate the happy couple, who soon become sick of their pestering ways. Whilst Marion also has an important art exhibition to prepare for - where she has agreed to sell her soul to the highest bidder - she suddenly finds her life upside down as her relationship is threatened as a result of her family’s arrival, sparking a feud between herself and Mingus.

Despite the film’s endearing factors, the French family who come to stay are just far too annoying and although we are supposed to find them frustrating, their constant rushing around makes for a very hectic atmosphere. Delpy has certainly done a good job in this respect, giving the film a naturalistic edge as she puts the audience into her characters’ shoes - yet as a result it becomes incredibly difficult to feel relaxed at all, simply not making for a very enjoyable cinematic experience. Such a sentiment is enhanced by Delpy within a visual sense too, as the film runs at a very fast pace with quick edits and flashing imagery - featuring montage sequences made up of purely still images shot in quick succession.

To counteract the frustrating side to the film, there are certainly some very funny and endearing moments - particularly early on, prior to the family’s arrival. However the film can become somewhat mawkish and sentimental at points - extended to the scenes concerning Marion's mother’s death. Although in Delpy's defence, her parents were playing themselves in 2 Days in Paris, and therefore she did lose her mother in real life too, which actually adds a sense of poignancy to proceedings.

Delpy is impressive as Marion - in a well-crafted character that is extremely likeable - imperative for the part as she needs to make the sequel feel warranted. The French actress must also be  commended  for her multitasking abilities, as not only is she the starring role within the film, but the writer, directer and co-producer. Having said this, the stand-out performance has to come from Rock, who is brilliant as Mingus - as he represents the ordinary man, surrounded by almost surreal occurrences.  He proves that when taking himself a little more seriously there is a very talented actor in there.

2 Days in New York is an ample successor to the original picture, and has enough enjoyable moments within it to make this a film worth seeing. However, having done Paris, and now New York, let's hope they don't come to London. Enjoyable yes, but certainly not worthy of becoming a trilogy.