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The Third Wheel More at IMDbPro »

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23 reviews in total

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14 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Great date movie!, 21 March 2005

Author: ppeters89 from Michigan

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.

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10 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Date interrupted by a man with a glass menagerie, 24 May 2005

Author: jotix100 from New York

Jordan Brady tries hard to make this comedy work. This screen play was written by Jay Locopo, who also appears in it. The film shows a director that wants to please his audience. Mr. Brady has assembled a young group of performers in "The Third Wheel", which was backed by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who also are seen in the movie.

The nerdy Stanley finally is able to get Diana to go out with him and this serves to create the kind of curiosity his office friends are betting on. Would he succeed in making Diana see him for what he is really like, or would she be turned off by the way Stanley acts? The date turns out to be something that Stanley didn't bargain for.

As Stanley and Diana are on the way to the theater, they encounter turbulence along the way when a homeless man, Phil walks in front of the car and is hit. Phil will stay with the couple throughout the rest of the movie. At times, this homeless man can be annoying beyond words!

Take the scene when Diana and Stanley finally get to the theater for the second act of the boring play in the park. Who happens to come out on stage? Well, you guessed it: Phil! This man delivers a monologue so inane, but everyone in the place goes nuts about him. One wonders about those L.A. audiences... Hmm!

Denise Richards gives a low key performance as Diana. Luke Wilson is Stanley. Jay Locopo is seen as Phil. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon also show up in small roles.

The best thing is the last minutes when the credits are rolling. Stay for that, or better yet, fast forward to that and then go back to the beginning!

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13 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
A lost treasure. Don't miss this one!, 17 April 2005

Author: bababear from United States

This was on The Movie Channel tonight. I'd never heard of it, but watched it because the cast looked interesting. What a pleasant surprise.

The setup has been done a million times. Shy guy gets up the nerve (after months and months) to ask Beautiful Girl out. Amazingly, she accepts.

People in the office are so amazed at this that they literally make bets and have a party where they keep track of the couple's evening. Their date takes an odd turn when they encounter a very strange homeless man who attaches himself to them and the plot gets stranger and stranger and funnier and funnier.

It has echoes of two of my favorite movies, Blake Edwards's BLIND DATE and Martin Scorcese's AFTER HOURS, but it's totally original.

I guess this was one of those movies that just literally got lost in the shuffle in the turbulent decline of Miramax Films. That's a shame. Did it ever show in theatres? I've never seen it.

The whole cast is great. Even Ben Affleck, here very comfortable in a character part. Maybe he'll have a future as a great character actor and stop making bad movies where he's leading man. There's a good cameo by Matt Damon at the end of the second act that's especially good.

Having read the comments, I know not everyone enjoyed this as much as I did. That's why the multiplex has a dozen auditoriums with different film playing.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it :-)

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9 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Pleasantly surprised., 8 April 2004

Author: moviefanforlife from Los Angeles, California

I just saw this movie and I really like it. It was far from perfect, but I thought the actors were really good. Denise Richards really enjoyable, Luke Wilson was fun, Ben was really funny, and Matt Damon had a good part too. The writer, Jay Lacopo, is also in it and I thought he was hysterical. I saw Waking Up In Reno which was directed by the same director and that movie was kind of cheesey. I think he's a bad director. This film is choppy, but the actors are good enough, and the script is funny enough that it makes me wonder what Miramax was thinking. With all of the terrible comedies they release you would think this one, with this star power, would have been a priority.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
A Fun & Original Flick!, 24 May 2005

Author: Thunderjoad from United Kingdom

I watched this film as a 'wild card' it had potential due to the cast but that was about it. Or so i thought?! Ben Affleck in a executive producing role as well as co-star, Matt Damon popping up in a bit part and Luke Wilson in the main role, with the help of Denise Richards as the love interest. The premise of the film seemed okay, a date movie where everything goes wrong for the screen couple, but this time it was different! Jay Lacopo (who also wrote this story) stars as the 'third wheel' the guy who is there to create the problems for Luke Wilson and his first time date with Densie Richards. Thats where the excellence comes in the film develops in a strange but intriguing manner. Like nothing i have seen before, it keeps you hooked and by the end you will fill satisfied (Even if the end credits are kinda out there!) So all in all a good film, an intelligent look at life and love ... with a not too serious shadow! Watch and enjoy ... its easy going and has some good laughs...

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8 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Cute Movie, 23 December 2005

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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")

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
I can't believe how much fun this movie was, 22 May 2004

Author: TheOtherFool from The Netherlands

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.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
a great, underrated movie, 20 January 2008

Author: grindking from United States

this movie is another one of Luke Wilson's great movies. stanley (the actor) has a great role and denise richards plays a great part as well. ben afleck plays a major part of the movie as a second element to add to the hilarity of this movie. since there are only 24-25 votes for this movie, i believe more and more people need to see this and that is why i'm writing this review, if you look at my account i have not made many comments on movies except a few. this movie is really amazing at at it's roots. there are very many elements here, subtle hints at things, foreshadowing, comedic relief, a generally positive feeling. i can't really say more about this movie other than, if you like movies like my super ex girlfriend (luke Wilson is always great), then you will literally love this movie. i recommend this to anyone.

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1 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Plain and simple, 4 January 2009

Author: (Greatornot) from United States

..... TRASH!! This movie was beyond awful. Another one of those "Everything going wrong on a first date". Acting was horrendous, plot line simple and predictable. OK I get its a romantic comedy . This was a bore-fest. The funniest part of the movie was within the first 5 minutes. Jeff Garlin, of 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' fame pulls a zinger. Than I do not laugh for the rest of the movie. The fact that Ben Affleck is the best actor in this movie is telling. Mr. Affleck never makes anyone forget about Spencer Tracy or Paul Newman. Matt Damon is alright in his one scene as well. Denise Richards as the trophy girl was nothing special. This movie was unrealistic and many loose ends that never quite get tied up. The most shocking thing in all these comments is that I saw many 9's and 10's. Were these cyber critics watching the same movie I was? I do not know, maybe my DVD was the unfunny copy. Save your time folks and if you really want to watch a funny movie about a first date , might I suggest a flick from the mid 80s called AFTER HOURS, with Rosanna Arquette at her finest.

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4 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Could've been better, I'll tell you why, 27 May 2004
Author: irontulips from Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Warning: Concept Summary (Nothing you won't know after watching the trailer)

A homeless man tags along on the first date and tries to help Luke Wilson's character make the date go well. It's a typical romantic-comedy with a twist set-up. And it could've been a heck of a lot better.

Warning: Slight Spoilers

1.You don't really like the characters.

They are not only not likable, they're not even consistent. The main male character is introduced as a generous, sensitive guy. Then he transforms into a bastard on the first date. The female lead is introduced as a no non-sense working woman who isn't afraid to speak what's on her mind. Then she suffers quietly on the date. And both their intelligences seem to jump from stupid-as-rocks to being able to make great leaps of logic beyond what is humanly possible.

2. The script isn't well written.

In a good script, there is nothing that doesn't serve a purpose. If it doesn't move the story forward or build character, it is cut. In one of the opening scenes, the main character gives a donut to a sleeping homeless man. His chubby co-worker sneaks back and steals the donut. We never see his co-worker again. Or the homeless man. Or the donuts. Why is this scene in the movie? It's just a cheap gag that goes nowhere. It's almost as if the script is distracted by cheap gags.

3. Direction and Editing

Editing could've been tighter and the character inconsistency is the fault of the Director. Even with the script being what it was, a different Director could've made it something something solid, and a good Editor could've made it much a much stronger film.

I give it a 4/10. Pity, it could've made 7/10.

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