Two Girls and a Guy
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Movie Reviews of Two Girls and a Guy
Movie Review: Two Girls and a Guy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great movie. Too bad this is underrated, but some underrated films are classics. Very sexual, cute, funny and sometimes upsetting!Movie Review: An Excellent Film If You Don't Mind Thinking A Little Bit
Summary: 4 Stars
Why does Downey Jr. lie to the two girls? Here's my take on it. Not because he couldn't get both of them without lying: after all, neither of the girls are married to him, and he could've openly had two or three semi-serious girlfriends and a few groupies also as a bachelor and up-and-coming star-on-the-rise actor starting to get steady work. He lied because he wanted not just superficial sex but two serious and involved relationships at the same time, two real girlfriends at the same time, almost like bigamy; he didn't lie to get the girls to physically put-out, he lied to get them to spiritually commit a deeper part of themselves that they otherwise wouldn't. So when he says that he loved both of them equally (or almost equally), he pretty much means it; and when he had said to each girl that other girls now disgust him, he really meant that too, in the spiritual sense that is about all other girls except the two main ones he was involved with. He may have had a few mainly physical encounters but spiritually and romantically he's basically tied to these two women, one of whom will eventually have to go because of time constraints or a slightly higher level of incompatibility. The same would obviously apply if a girl had willingly put herself in this rather flattering dilemma (as the poster for Truffaut's `Jules et Jim' on the wall constantly implies, a film in which there was no deception but which ended tragically because Jeanne Moreau refused to give up her irrational desire to be loved by more than one man until she turned off both of them).
What I think Toback is trying to do is show people ways of communicating they haven't considered or have been programmed to overlook. He's trying to say that this situation doesn't have to end up negatively or in some kind of overblown melodrama, though it's definitely prime material for farce. Every attempt at taking it to that cliche area of hurt and shattered and devastated feelings, and overblown psychotic role playing imposed by half-baked and prejudiced societal rules is shown to be not only ridiculous but transcendable by only a little strength and street-or-book-or-other-wise perspective. Of course, the Natasha Gregson Wagner character is the one that shows the most strength because she gets the short end and refuses to stoop to fighting for her man with Heather Graham; not only that, she doesn't even break relations with Graham and asks her to call her. . In 99 out of a hundered other films as soon as Graham and Downey start getting it on in that other room, Gregson Wagner would've broken a whole bunch of Downey's bric-a-brac-furniture, stormed out the apartment cursing and slammed the door, or, barged in on them and had a tantrum wanting to kill both of them. But is that kind of impulsive over-reaction all human beings are capable of? No, and Toback shows that sex outside a serious relationship, even if it's with someone in an equally serious relatoinship who is a direct threat, is not the end of the world and it can be dealt with intelligently and calmly, not through some ridiculous tantrum.
What Toback is laying down here in this film isn't anything new but basically a variation on what many widely read books of the late '60s and early '70s dealt with, books like `Pairing,' `Open Marriage,' etc. They dealt with the fact that sexual desires don't go away after marriage or the attainment of a serious relationship and should not be restricted because that creates more problems than it solves. Desires are then only willingly & voluntarily not acted upon by the parties concerned because the time spent pursuing them could be better and more efficiently spent in the main relationship which is already a source of much joy. They emphasize the importance of the strength of the main relationship so that even if the desires are acted upon physically, that's where it usually ends and the level of intimacy achieved doesn't seem to be worth it compared to the main relationship, therefore further reinforcing the main bond. In other words, a positively re-inforcing circle instead of vicious one. If there's no strong relationship aside from the strictly physical to hold a man and a woman together, then that couple has no business pretending they have a real relationship anyway and traditional restraints will make cheating more attractive, not less. The problem, of course, is always TIME, all serious relationships in the end end up pretty much monogamous (in spirit if not exactly 100% in physical fact) because a serious relationship takes work, real work, and there is simply too much time and energy required to carry on even as little as two serious love affairs at once on a high level. They based these theories on research into why so many traditional marriages failed. People sneer at these theories now without even stopping to think but very little has changed and much has been reversed since the days of the sexual revolution. It may even be worse now than the 50s and 60s. If you take a look around society at traditional marriages that have strict restrictions, you'll probably find that for every relatively good relationship that hasn't gone sour yet, there are at least 10 happy-to-be-mediocre lukewarm ones maintained for the sake of appearances that can be seen through in two seconds, and 10 more that are already dead and headed for divorce or have gone beyond the stultifying effects of a 'closed relationship' to cheating and deception to find some 'happiness-fix' on the side. In Toback's film, Downey's deception leaves Natasha Gregson Wagner out in the cold but she's strong enough to not give too much of a damn about someone like Downey whose lying has put her in a position to get hurt because she happens to be a tad less interesting to him than Heather Graham who has just reclaimed him by giving him sex; she's strong enough to not show her hurt for his satisfaction or to stoop to wanting to fight for the little weasel with Graham. She stays above it, talks things over a while, wishes them the best and moves on. Not realistic? If we're talking in general terms absolutely not; but in individual terms, absolutely yes. There are probably 9 or 10 people out of a hundred strong enough to pull a Natasha Gregson Wagner exit. And the value of Toback's film is that it shows that rather than the 90 ways how it ought to end in farce and total disaster.
Therefore, despite some flaws, Toback's film is highly recommended because it breaks cliches at every turn in the dialogue and tries to promote intelligent ways as opposed to culturally pre-programmed ones of dealing with painful dilemmas. All you weak people out there with your love-hate over-reaction programming and jealous rages, watch and learn how to be more sophisticated, strong, considerate, compassionate, hip, cool and classy. Who said 1960s ideals are dead?
Movie Review: Risk Taking Mostly Pays Off
Summary: 4 Stars
The title explains the problem in this risky film. Simply put, two women meet while waiting for their respective boyfriends who, they quickly ascertain, is one and the same, a New York actor. They lie in wait for him in his loft as he returns from a job in LA. First one, then both women proceed to impel him to reveal and explain his deception and insist on forcing him to identify truth and meaning. With the exception of one sexual scene in which both actors retain their clothing but which required 14 edits to get it down to an R rating, the action largely consists of changes in the wind of the dialogue, with segues often provided by telephone calls to and from unseen characters. So it goes for 90 minutes.For the most part, the characters command attention, making the 90 minutes pass without dragging. This essentially comes off like a staged play, not a flaw in itself necessarily but the filmmaker invested energy in the concept and characters, not in actual filming techniques that might better define this as a cinematic art work apart from the drama. The setting is a stunning loft that holds attention as much as the characters; it adds conceptual commentary and allows for some interesting blocking-but a stage play could have replicated it and made similar use.
Robert Downey, Jr., gives a remarkable performance as the guy lost in his deceptions. Natasha Gregson Wagner completely owns her part and takes it to the core and back. The motivation of Heather Graham's character is not always clear though what her character does and says always propels quality changes in the action.
The bottom line: this is a high concept film, smart and creative, but it belongs more to the art house crowd and never breaks free from "Indie" conventions.
Movie Review: antisocial disorder
Summary: 4 Stars
Interesting movie. Downey plays a textbook sociopath. Judging from the reviews, he could have easily become President with a 60+ approval rating. Would have made Bubba quite proud with the women quite sympathetic - as is typical for those with antisocial disorder, i.e. their charisma, compulsive lying, risk taking behavior, etc. Drug abuse may have been involved - most likely during the scripting and/or acting. There are times when the actresses fall out of character and seem a bit lost - but their roles are less well-defined than Downey's. Downey does a great job of acting ... assuming that he was acting and not just showing us a true side of himself in between stints at drug rehab. Basically, all three have serious emotional and self-esteem issues and are advised to seek immediate psychiatric counseling or some other form of quackery. Then again, in Hollywood, I suppose this kind of behavior is quite acceptable and the norm. Most likely the source material for this script came from actual psychotherapy sessions with the female actresses playing composite roles of headshrinks and family members. Again, very typical in Hollywood....Overall, an interesting - but somewhat uneven - movie. It's the kind of movie you enjoy watching once, but then will never watch again unless forced to at gunpoint. Huh? What? Word salad is good brain food. Lithium makes the voices go away. Sleep....
Movie Review: Confused?
Summary: 4 Stars
In case you got confused by all the controversial reviews...and can't decide to spend 84 minutes of your time on this film, here are some suggestions. DON'T WATCH IT IF: 1. you tend to pick movies with stylish cinematography that enhances dramatic or spectacular scenes; 2. you prefer movies with twists and turns woven into an elaborate screenplay; 3. you expect some sizzling scenes from the title or the NR-17 rating; 4. you are currently savoring your first love or consider yourself a hopelessly romantic person. But DON'T MISS IT IF: 1. you really enjoy dark comedy whether it's an indie or some Hollywood rare bird; 2. you love witty, sassy, sarcastic dialogue, and don't have a problem with profanities; 3. you readily accept any ludicrous circumstance as a natural facet of life; 4. you realize that it's common for couples to talk only on the surface about issues they're afraid to cope with, until a certain point where they must spill the beans to save the relationship or get it over with... Well, did I miss something? Oh yeah, 3 of my 4 stars go to Robert Downey Jr., simply because I believe any other actresses can carry the roles of Heather Graham and Natasha G. Wagner but nobody can do RDJr 's. He's really one of a kind.