Cast: Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, Oliver Platt, Cylk Cozart, John C. McGinley, Bob Balaban
Director: Damon Santostefano
Producers: Jeffrey Silver, Bettina Sofia Viviano
Screenplay: Rodney Vaccaro and Aline Brosh McKenna
Cinematography: Walt Lloyd
Music: Graeme Revell
U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
Director Damon Santostefano's Three To Tango is afflicted with a common failing of romantic comedies - an ending designed to send half the audience into sugar shock. For four of the movie's five reels, it's a pleasant and reasonably clever diversion, but the intelligence level dips dramatically during the unfortunate 15-minute finale. After spending nearly one and one-quarter hours developing characters into people worth caring about, Three To Tango proceeds to assassinate them in order to give the happiest possible wrap-up. I have nothing against successful romantic liaisons in this kind of picture, but spreading it on this thickly is suffocating.
While the central love story follows familiar patterns, the subtext - that of a straight person pretending to be gay - can claim the virtue of being a little different (although, by coincidence, it mirrors that of Happy, Texas, another movie currently unspooling in multiplexes). This device, which could not have been used as recently as a decade ago in a more sophisticated context than that of an episode of Three's Company, amplifies how much things have changed in society as well as in entertainment. For centuries, the norm was for homosexuals to fake heterosexuality in order to obtain acceptance; here, the shoe is on the other foot. (Although, admittedly, the contrivances in the plot assure that the situation does not reflect anything that might happen in the real world.) Three To Tango is not strictly politically correct, but most of the gay-related humor is neither tasteless nor mean-spirited. The film treats its homosexual characters with as much respect as its straight ones while illustrating the difficulties encountered by a person faking his sexual orientation. This is a case when the closet door swings both ways.
Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are partners in an up-and-coming design team vying for a job restoring a Chicago landmark - a project that, if successfully captured, will put them in the big leagues. Their competition has more money, but the man funding the restoration, tycoon Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), prefers Oscar and Peter's ideas. When Charles' secretary misunderstands an overheard conversation between the partners, she leaps to the mistaken conclusion that Oscar is gay. When Charles learns of this, he decides that Oscar is the perfect choice to spy on his mistress, Amy (Neve Campbell), whom he suspects of infidelity. Charles reasons that, since Oscar is gay, there's no danger of a romantic attachment. So, to preserve his chance of getting the project, Oscar agrees to feign mere friendship with Amy, even though he has fallen in love with her.
Matthew Perry (Fools Rush In and TV's Friends) and Neve Campbell (TV's Party of Five and the Scream movie series) make a nice screen couple. Neither is an accomplished thespian (they both come from a television background, which rarely produces performers of exceptional skill), but they possess screen presence. They're cute together and the level of chemistry is such that we're willing to accept their improbable romance. Oliver Platt is more polished than either of them, and manages to steal most of the scenes he's in. His performance contains a degree of comic flair that is not apparent in the work of his higher-billed co-stars. Meanwhile, Dylan McDermott brings no charisma to his part; he's flat, dull, and offers little of interest or appeal. Three To Tango would have worked better if the third leg of the title triangle had been invested with more zest and humanity. Cylk Cozart plays star running back Kevin Cartwright, a former flame of Amy's (and Charles #1 source of worry). John C. McGinley and Bob Balaban have supporting roles as Oscar and Peter's rivals. And, as a side note, virtually everyone in the cast seems to be experiencing a bad hair day. Perry's mane, which appears to have been dyed red and cut with a pair of hedge clippers, is especially unkempt.
In general, I'm a sucker for this kind of film. Predictable movies aren't always bad, especially if we grow to like the characters and if the production offers a few genuine laughs, but Three To Tango goes too far in its desire to appease an unthinking audience. Not only does the film feature a scene where there's an applause-generating speech, but follows this up with an even less likely feel-good moment. Call the movie The Object of My Affection without guts - since the guy isn't really gay, he's suddenly available to the girl. Happy endings don't have to be this saccharine. Three To Tango contains some worthwhile aspects, but, in the end, there's not enough to elevate it above the continuum of unspectacular romantic comedies that constantly flow from Hollywood into theaters.
© 1999 James Berardinelli