Synopsis: One girl. Two guys. Three possibilities.

Eddy (Josh Charles) and Stuart (Stephen Baldwin) are curious about their new roommate. When a bureaucratic snafu lands budding actress Alex (Lara Flynn Boyle) into their laps, the situation becomes tense and uneasy. But when Alex falls for Eddy and Stuart falls for Alex, it leaves Eddy to admit that he has hidden desires of his own! Sensing a potential for disaster, the three agree not to act on any romantic feelings for each other. In antic fashion, they explore the complexity of friendships, relationships and sexuality, ultimately becoming more than roommates and much better than friends.
***********************************************************************

Threesome 8.75

Wow… I haven’t enjoyed watching a film as much as I this in weeks (not since ‘Back to the Future’, approximately a month ago!). That really hit the spot!

I had already seen ‘Threesome’ a few times before, but it had been a long, long time. In fact, I had been looking for this DVD for many, many years (sadly, it’s out of print ). I finally found it in a dust bin a couple of weeks ago, so I immediately put it at the top of my “Must Watch” list. I was looking forward to it: it’s a film that I have thoroughly enjoyed every single time I’ve seen it.

It may not be self-evident at first glance, however, in light of the setting: I barely did any post-high school studies, have never been in a dorm, have never been in a similar triangle and have never partied. And yet I can’t help but connect with these characters and their tight bond. To me, this was as real as it gets (surprise, surprise: I have had über-close friends over the years… ).

What may help is that the actors knew each other already before signing on for the film, so they were able to take shortcuts in making the emotional connections work on screen. I love the three actors AND characters in this (even goofy Stephen Baldwin is perfectly cast and entirely credible!), but it’s clearly due to that elusive magic connection between some people – a combination that’s almost impossible to manufacture. Thankfully, these three balance each out so well, play off of each other effortlessly, and define the group dynamic very clearly.

The characters are funny in a very real way – it doesn’t feel like their lines are pre-planned one-liners (like screenplays often do). And they were corny the way people are sometimes. It was so natural, so real, so grounded. On the DVD audio commentary (yes, I felt compelled to listen to it – that’s how much I love this film! ), writer-director Andrew Fleming says that the actors frequently improvised lines, which probably accounts for the simili-vérité feel of it.

Snicker, snicker… I don’t know if the dialogue’s been grafted onto my brain from repeat viewing, if it’s too commonplace, or if it simply hits all the right notes for me, but I could say some of the lines before the actors did them – without knowing that this is what they were going to say. It just felt like the right thing to say given the situations and the characters; it was so right. (and, as a point of reference, I always muff up even the most iconic lines in filmdom. That’s really not my forté.)

But there must be something to the lines being buried deep in my subconscious. After all, the mocking line “Scary Larry is very hairy. So be wary…” always comes to me whenever I hear the names Larry or Harry. I simply can’t help it; it puts big dumb grin on my face (nota bene: I realize that I’m probably taking slight liberties with the actual line. Which only goes to prove my earlier point… )

Despite the title, the film isn’t about sex. It’s about friendship, the complexity of relationships, matters of the heart, and the laws of attraction. Sure, it talks about sex. A lot. But, really, how could you avoid it, given the context? Thankfully, it does so in a realistic, sober way that rings true to me. While it can get crude and rude, it doesn’t do so for laughs – it gets dirty because that’s who these people are at that point in time. And, honestly, most of us probably are as well at some or another; it’s hardly aberrant.

I believe that this film (and a few life experiences) may have influenced my view of friendships: that some of them seem so essential one day, but then life takes them on a different course and distance grows between those people, making it impossible to ever recapture what was once there. It saddens me greatly to think of this, because a close connection is so joyous, so all-encompassing, when you’re right in there. But friendships, like any relationship, need to be nurtured – they don’t exist and/or remain rich on their own, in a vacuum, without a real investment and devotion.

Having said that, this film perks me up instantaneously. Even with dark clouds in my heart I can watch these friendships develop and bloom, be engrossed by every moment, sympathize with the characters’ troubles and laugh along with them. Heck, even the ambiguously ’80s cum ’90s soundtrack is tons of fun and Thomas Newman’s delicate score is magic. It’s basically pure bliss on all levels.

Seriously, in my mind, you couldn’t possibly ask for a more awesome ‘Threesome’.