THREESOME
A film review by Tak
Copyright 1994 Mark Takacs
TriStar Pictures /rated R Starring: Lara Flynn Boyle Stephen Baldwin Josh Charles Classification: Romantic Comedy Tak Rating: see it several times - full and/or matinee
One-Line-Summary ---------------- A non-traditional love-triangle where no one's lust is reciprocated.
Tak Plot Summary ---------------- Things heat up when Alex (Lara Flynn Boyle) is mistaken for a male by the college bureaucracy and placed with Eddie (Josh Charles) and Stuart (Stephen Baldwin) in a college dorm room. Alex soon develops a huge lust for Eddie, Eddie would rather not get involved, and Stuart is really hot for Alex. The rest of the movie is about trying to sort out these feelings and the situations that arise.
Tak Thoughts ** minor spoilers -- revealed in first 20 mins ** ------------ THREESOME opens with a definition of "deviant" that goes much like this: 1) to stray, esp. from a standard, or principle. 2) to depart from an established course or norm. Eddie narrates, and says "... this is the story of a time in our lives where we traveled the less traveled path and, for a brief while, became deviants."
When you look at the thick of things, it seems far from the norm, but it's not such a stretch. Each step down the so-called deviant lifestyle makes sense as it's taken. It's only after you've traveled for awhile that you realize how far from normal you've gone.
Anyone into combinations and permutations? Well, THREESOME would make an interesting story problem. If you had three people, Alex, Stuart, and Eddie; all of whom wanted to sleep with one of the others, but the person they wanted didn't want them. List all the possible combinations of partners and their directed lust, indicated by a directed arrow. ---> Find the solution with the most fulfilled lust.
Ok, start by writing down what you know.
given: Alex-->Eddie Eddie-->Stuart Stuart-->Alex
That's a lust of 3, but that's the given. So let's list all the other combos, including leftovers.
*rate* *Relationships* *Leftovers*
0 null Alex, Eddie, Stuart
2 Alex<-->Eddie Stuart
2 Eddie<-->Stuart Alex
2 Stuart<-->Alex Eddie
3 Alex-->Eddie-->Stuart--> null (given)
6 +-Alex<--->Stuart<--->Eddie-+ null
+------------><-------------+
The numbers say everyone should sleep with everyone, right? Right. But that's too easy. And it just doesn't work. Mostly because the two guys have a problem with taking certain partners. Though it's not with each other, as Eddie is gay. Eddie won't do Alex (except for a trial run), and Stuart won't do Eddie (though he makes certain concessions). So they really have to find some solution that everyone is comfortable with.
They really try. They try out all the combinations listed above. They even bring in "outsiders" for the left out person in the couples experiments. These just don't work. They're only really happy when they're all together. Then some sort of magic happens, where they can all believe they're getting what they want.
THREESOME could be seen as a glorification of an immoral lifestyle. This is certainly acknowledged, as the threesome become quite the scandal at their dorm. I certainly wouldn't condemn them. It fact, I'm envious. They look like they're having so much fun. I know there've been times in my life ... well ... :-)
My favorite scene is a road trip where they abduct an garden gnome, frolic in a rental convertible, and end up at a swimming hole. Fun, tense, and delightful to watch. Oh, and there's the "scary, hairy Larry" scene. There's lots more.
I've spent more time than usual talking about the storyline. I think that's pretty high praise, actually. I didn't have any problems with any of the mechanics of the movie (actors, direction, etc) getting in the way of me being totally immersed in the story. Bravo.
Tak Rating: ----------- I liked THREESOME. Strict adherence to wholesome-ness can be so restricting at times. Check it out--let yourself think about what it might be like to be a deviant. Who knows? If you're lucky, maybe THREESOME will set you off on your own deviant path.
avoid at all costs see several times (w/friends) as matinee wait for videotape see once at full price watch it on cable X see it several times - full and/or matinee see once as a matinee see many times at full price -- Mark Takacs mtakacs@netcom.com Seattle, WA
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