The Third Wheel

I found this movie on cable on dreary evening in winter. It was light and delightful and funny. The plot follows at a great pace, the characters are memorable, and Phil is hilarious. Call me naive, but I followed the movie at face value, not trying to guess what is going to happen next, and found it very entertaining. When you expect too much from a film like this, you are looking to watch a different movie. This is light romantic comedy at its finest. The casting was on mark and I really enjoy Ben and Matt in these minor roles where they are just having fun, I don't think they do that enough in movies anymore. Happy to see Melissa McCarthy (Sookie of Gilmore Girls) kiss Ben, and Jeff Garlin along with a really solid ensemble cast of comedic actors. Small movie, great cast, lots of fun.

The clumsy and shy Stanley (Luke Wilson) is a nice fellow, beloved by his colleagues in the office. He has a crush on the gorgeous new-hire Diana (Denise Richards), but he has difficulties to get close to her. When Stanley finally invites Diana for a date, he hits the homeless Phil (Jay Lacopo) with his Taurus and his planned night turns upside down.

"The Third Wheel" is a cute movie. The screenplay has many flaws, but the charming lead couple and the situation of Stanley, with the whole office cheering for him and a stranger simply ruining his dreamed night is very sweet and funny. The story practically has no plot point, the film is far from being a masterpiece, but I liked. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Triângulo Amoroso" ("Love Triangle")

Picture: saturday night. You're alone. Nothing to do. A rom-com just happens to be in your bag, of which your girlfriend (who's a fan of the genre) said it wasn't any good. You decide to watch it anyway and... you really, really liked it. It's what happened to me and 'The Third Wheel'.

The movie stars Luke Wilson and Denise Richards as Stanley and Diana. They're co-workers, and Stanley has had an eye out for Diana for a while (as has most of the company). One day he finally asks her out, and she agrees to go with him to a play. But they're hardly on the road, or Stanley hits homeless guy Phil with his car.

Phil (a very good Jay Lacopo, who also wrote the movie) tags along for the ride, gaining the friendship of both of our stars, and ultimately bringing them closer to each other. Watch out for the bus-scene, it's hilarious!

To go short: loads of fun in this rom-com, also starring Ben Affleck and with a cameo from Matt Damon (as you would expect) as former boyfriend of Diana. Such a nice surprise!

7/10.

THE THIRD WHEEL follows in the tradition of good movies such as CHEATS, THE JOB and RUN RONNIE RUN that end up either premiering on cable or going direct-to-video. Just like CHEATS and RUN RONNIE RUN, THE THIRD WHEEL is a movie that had potential at being a success at the box office, but was mistreated by the studio and dumped into obscurity. In the case of this movie, Miramax kept it on the shelf for 2+ years despite having an all-star cast and talented director attached to the project. Unlike most comedies that get released theatrically, THE THIRD WHEEL is actually funny. It's not a hilarious movie, though it does have enough laughs to make for an enjoyable and fun way to kill 90 minutes. Recommended for fans of Luke Wilson.

My Rating: 6/10 (**1/2)

A man (Luke Wilson) accidentally hits a homeless person (Jay Lacopo) with his car and then cannot seem to get rid of him the rest of the night.

There are some great guest stars here, including Jeff Garlin, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, not to mention Denise Richards as the romantic interest. I found these things to be the most redeeming, as the story itself did not thrill me, and reminded me a bit too much of "What About Bob?".

I have never enjoyed films with annoying characters, and this is no exception. I did not find Homeless Phil to be lovable or even someone to have sympathy for. He was a nuisance.

One of the best parts -- in fact, probably the best part -- was the credit sequence. Any time you get synchronized dancing to 90s hip-hop is a good thing.