"Town & Country"
Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Gary Shandling star as a pair of married couples whose complacent lives are about to be shaken up in director Peter Chelsom's version of the classic romantic, screwball comedy in "Town & Country."
The drawing room farce of the 30's dealt with sexual innuendo and relied on wit and a great deal of commotion and noise to place the viewer in the thick of the duplicitous romantic action. Back then, impossibly wealthy scions of society, with too much free time, would get themselves wrapped up in all sorts of sexual peccadilloes with spouses and lovers, only to have everything come out all right in the end - see "The Philadelphia Story" for a great farce. "Town & Country" has the impossibly wealthy protagonists with too much free time - the kind of people that have jobs but never seem to work - and sexual misconduct on several levels. But, there is almost no life to original script by Michael Laughlin and Buck Henry and this is "T&C's" downfall.
There is, obviously, a great deal of Hollywood talent, in front of and behind the camera, involved in "Town & Country," but, without a likable or, at least, interesting story to carry through their efforts, it is all for naught. And, that's what we get here - naught.
Porter Stoddard (Beatty) is a high-powered New York architect with a very good life indeed. His 25-year marriage to Ellie (Diane Keaton) appears, on the surface, to be perfect. But, there are cracks just below this pristine surface. His wife is suspicious of his whereabouts, his kids don't need him and his best friends, Griffin (Garry Shandling) and Mona (Goldie Hawn), are in the midst of a divorce. Porter tries to get control of his life before it is too late, but like a man fighting against quicksand, his struggle just sinks him deeper.
At the 90-minute mark of "Town & Country" I asked myself, "What's the point?" I wasn't entertained, I laughed three times - over silly little pratfalls - and spent most of the film marking time 'til the end. Warren Beatty wanders around with his character in a bewildered fog, making problems for himself by thinking with a part of his anatomy other than his head. Keaton's Ellie is an empty headed flake who can't see the obvious as Porter screws around on her. And, as you get to know them, who would want friends like Griffin and Mona?
The supporting cast is given nothing to do and, sometimes, does harm to the film, given the material they are forced to use. Nastassja Kinski plays a cellist with whom Porter has a fling. The actress, who has, eerily, failed to age over the years, is miscast as the air-headed musician and the character doesn't belong, anyway. Jenna Elfman is a sweet, but smart, ditz who joins Porter and Griffin on one of their tacked on misadventures. Andie MacDowell is absolutely painful to watch as a wealthy heiress (is there any other kind in this movie?) who comes on to Porter. The saving grace is a pair of quirky perf's by Charlton Heston and Marian Seldes as MacDowell's very strange parents.
Glib rationalization of infidelity, like, "If he doesn't speak English, it doesn't count," are a staple for the screenplay. The morality of the film seems to be, if you can get away with it, go for it. The cast of characters are mostly people you wouldn't want to know, never mind befriend. The actors do their best, but are hamstrung by the weak material. Helmer Chelsom, who made the outstanding, offbeat comedy "Funny Bones," is mired in the mess of a script and never puts his imprint on "Town & Country."
The production values are high, as one expects from a big budget Hollywood film. But, the opulent sets by Caroline Hanania, lavish wardrobes by Molly Maginnis and top-notch photography by William Fraker cannot save "Town & Country." The film has had a long list of production and distribution problems and it might have been better, for me anyway, if Hollywood just said no to this movie. I give it a D.
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