TWO MUCH
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 3.0 Alternative Scale: *1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 3/15/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:58 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, sex, violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Danny Aiello, Joan Cusack, Eli Wallach Director: Fernando Trueba Producer: Cristin Huete Screenplay: Fernando and David Trueba based on the novel by Donald E. Westlake Cinematography: Jose Luis Alcaine Music: Michel Camilo U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
In general, this kind of brainless farce is either a brilliant triumph or a dismal failure. There's no middle ground. TWO MUCH, an English-language release from BELLE EPOQUE director Fernando Trueba, conforms to this precept. Had it been thirty minutes shorter, TWO MUCH would simply have been boring. However, at nearly two hours, it's a grueling experience. Even fans of Antonio Banderas may find it a chore to endure this motionless picture.
Banderas plays Art Dodge, a Miami-based con man who tries to trick widows into buying modern artwork. At the funeral of a mob boss, the dead man's son, Gene (Danny Aiello), reacts angrily to Art's scam, but, before things get nasty, Gene's ex-wife, Betty (Melanie Griffith), helps him escape. Twenty-four hours, after a night of sex, Betty and Art are engaged. Then Art meets Betty's sister, Liz (Daryl Hannah), and, suddenly, he's in love. Since Liz can't stand Art, he invents a twin brother, Bart, who's more to her liking. Things get complicated, however, when Art and Bart are required to be in the same house at the same time.
With someone of John Cleese's comic aptitude, this film might have worked, but Antonio Banderas is out of his depth. At his best, he's almost adequate. Comedies like this live or die based on timing, and Banderas doesn't have the knack. Even considering his limitations, however, he's better than his co-stars. Melanie Griffith and Daryl Hannah both look bored, which is inevitably how everyone in the audience will feel watching them. There's no spark, romantic or otherwise, during the entire sluggish two hours that TWO MUCH is on screen.
The only one with any presence is Danny Aiello, and he acts like he's playing the heavy in a gangster drama. Gene is a sinister caricature, and his presence casts a pall over every scene he's in (especially one where things turn violent). This isn't the best mood for something that's intended to be lighthearted. But, as ill-advised as the tone is, the pacing is worse. This film drags, and there aren't enough laughs to fill up a five-minute short, not to mention a full length feature. Ultimately, the real problem with TWO MUCH is that it's much, much too little.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin (or) http://www2.cybernex.net/~berardin
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