Two Girls and a Guy (1997)
Seen on 26 April 1998 for $8.50 with Laura at Angelika.
Not knowing much about *2 Girls and a Guy*, I went into it without any preconceived notions or expectations. It started out interestingly enough, as two women standing on the steps of a Sohoi loft slowly discover the boyfriend they hoping to surprise upon his return from London is in fact the same boyfriend, Blake (Robert Downey Jr.). Carla (Heather Graham, most recently seen as Boogie Night's "Rollergirl") is tall, blonde, refined, and innocent looking. Lou (Natasha Wagner) is short, dark-haired, speaks in streetsmart tones, and has no problem scaling a fire escape and breaking into Blake's window so the two can really surprise him upon his return.
The first 45 minutes to an hour of this movie work very well, as the two cuckolded women bond as they rehash all of Blake's lines and realize he's been seeing both of them for almost the same length of time--ten months. As Carla, wide-eyed, recites Blake's romantic mantras, Lou is able to finish them, word for word. The fun, therefore, is really supposed to begin when Blake returns and the women confront him and turn tables on him.
Blake does return and immediately calls his mother. We learn from Carla and Lou that he is fixated on his mother. This plays prominently into the film, and it is interesting to see Downey tune the women out to call his mother, and then her doctor, and completely focus on everything but them.
This movie takes place completely in Blake's loft, so it is interesting to see how director James Toback is able to keep it from getting too claustrophobic, and too talky, like My Dinner with Andre.
However, the move takes a sharp left turn halfway through and never quite recovers. The things you might expect and look forward to do not happen, and instead, the films ends unsatisfactorily. Considering the sharp emotions and strong start the movie made, it is disappointing--to say the least--to see the characters do things no one would ever do, and basically wimp out.
Despite the script, Downey and Graham sustain a level of energy that still keeps you wondering what is going to happen, way after that bad turn is made. Wagner's performance, however, despite promising delivery in the first half, peters out and leaves you unimpressed. Watching three characters that are eventually revealed to be emotionally confused is not for everyone. It's hard to figure out whether the conclusions we can draw are that a) the director is misogynist, or b) "Why try being honest with people? Life is so futile?"
CINEMA FAN NOTE: In the loft you will notice a poster for Truffaut's film Jules et Jim, a movie about 2 Guys and a Girl.
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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