The Third Wheel (2002) User Reviews

Date interrupted by a man with a glass menagerie

[jotix100 · 5/10 · 24 May 2005]

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!

A Fun & Original Flick!

[Thunderjoad · 5/10 · 24 May 2005]

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...

A Flawed Romantic Comedy

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 4 April 2014]

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.

Terrible.

[turbonutter-1 · 4 October 2004]

I hired this film as it looked like a good light hearted funny romantic comedy, with a couple of big name stars. But, it was very disappointing. Barely half way into the film the girlfriend fell asleep and i turned off and was left feeling frustrated and angry at wasting the £2 on hiring it.

Firstly i just wanted to slap Luke Wilson and tell him to pull himself together. The character he played was such a wet lettuce it was unbelievable, and Phil was sooooooo annoying you were left wishing that he would sustain a more serious injury throughout the film...

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not recommended!

Bizarre and unfunny stretched out comedy

[Floated2 · 1/10 · 11 December 2020]

Featuring a premise and quite thin and awkwardly storyline. This feature film's simple story feels like a third rate television comedy series (and not in a good way). There is no surprise as to why this film isn't more known and why it was a straight to video release.

If you happen to see the 9 and 10 star IMDB reviews before viewing this film do not believe or take them serious. Those people seem too easily impressed and it will get your hopes up too high ultimately leading to disappointment.

The comedy is just uneven, not funny and tries too hard. The entire act of Jay Lacopo seemed stretched out and became less funny as the film progressed. (Spoilers)It was just entirely predictable with the character's "act". We have seen this many times before and we knew there was going to be some twist in the end revealing he wasn't who the lead characters thought he was.

What was most bizarre and just weird were how the coworkers were at Ben Affleck's house monitoring the date between Luke Wilson and Denise Richards having bets about certain situations. It was never mentioned if this was a frequent thing or if Luke Wilson was aware but it questions as to how good friends he was with Ben and the other coworkers- since their was no privacy.

The highlight features Matt Damon in a 3 minute cameo towards the end. The end twist although was predictable played out decently enough and slightly elevated the film. But still as a whole, The Third Wheel is just unfunny and mess.

I can't believe how much fun this movie was

[TheOtherFool · 7/10 · 22 May 2004]

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.

Plain and simple

[Greatornot · 2/10 · 4 January 2009]

..... 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.

Cute Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 23 December 2005]

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")

Should have stayed on the shelf.

[Empire-3 · 2/10 · 26 January 2003]

"The Third Wheel" is boring and useless. I read that this movie was on shelf for some years and I don´t wonder. For example there are two incredibly stupid scenes: FIRST: Luke Wilson´s character throws a coin and it hits car´s windshield breaking it. Some coin. SECOND: The scene where Matt Damon has a cameo.

I give this movie 2 out of 10 (* out of *****).

Saw the movie - liked it!!

[mareikura · 7/10 · 9 December 2002]

I was recently one of those you could categorise as a captured audience on a flight showing The Third Wheel...and I have got to say I really enjoyed it. I admit I was surprised because I saw Damon and Affleck as exec producers, and I did not like 'Good Will Hunting', although I loved Dogma, which they both acted in. Anyway I digress, Luke Wilson and Jay Lacopo were excellent (but then I am a fan of that humour which has a slow droll and subtle catch to it) - they played their roles as slightly stupid, but then in the end of course, their not. Denise Richards was great in her role, giving it that "I'm sexy, but a real person' tone, particularly that laugh!!

It won't win any Oscars, but if you want a light-hearted, easy going movie that makes you chuckle (which during a flight can be slightly embarrassing), go for it!!

Dee

sticky bum

[lawbuntz · 5/10 · 1 March 2005]

I admit this movie is not worth more than 3 US dollars per person to view, however, a previous comment by another IMDb user mentions two scenes being stupid.

The first criticized scene involved a coin being thrown from a very tall building and accidentally breaking a parked car's windshield. The IMDb user said that this was "some coin". The scene is a classic "exaggeration humor" scene that plays on the ideas of altruism gone wrong (the context within which the coin it tossed) and on the idea of a small object accelerating during free-fall due to gravity (9.8meters/sec sq). The movie did over-exaggerate the speed of the coin for it to be able to have enough momentum (mass x velocity) to break a stationary windshield. An quarter could come close to the mass of a small caliber bullet...very small yes...and with enough speed, a bullet of such caliber could shatter a windshield...especially a windshield that is not new or has defects in it's structure which may or may not be obvious. So, ignoring "terminal velocity" of the quarter by ignoring air resistance that would vary throughout free fall along with the potential flipping of the said quarter, if tossed from a high enough building, the windshield could definitely have shattered as it did. Ignoring these facts, this was simply a silly joke, an excerpt of one example of one form of "silly humor". It's possible that the IMDb use who made the previous comment is from a different culture where silliness is dumb. Cameos rock too.

Great date movie!

[ppeters89 · 10/10 · 21 March 2005]

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.

Funny at times, and also annoying at times

[Quinoa1984 · 6/10 · 24 April 2001]

The Third Wheel is a harmless romedy (romantic comedy) about a guy (Luke Wilson) who has really liked this girl (Denise Richards) for a while at work, and when she finally is available, he gets his date. Unfortunately, a monkey wrench is thrown into the works as a unintentional hittee (Jay Locopo, who also scripted) becomes the guy's watcher on the date. Funny, light stuff at times, even if the Locopo character gets a little over-the-top at times. The ending might be a downer, depending in the watchee. Executive produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who take small (yet memorable) roles on this one. B-

positive feelings

[LaDream · 22 August 2004]

hey guys, this movie was so sweet :) I laughed and felt happy watching it.. and dreamt about a date like this.. and I really loved this Phil-dude! I know that I'm not real movie reviewer but sometimes you should just enjoy easy and fun romance story. btw, I'm 19.. so maybe I'm just in the right age to watch this kind of girlie-soapy stuff :) but I'm sure that some of my guy-friends would like it too. I will remember this as one of the best films I have seen this year.. well OK, maybe this isn't the film to remember after 3 years for example.. but right now I'm thinking that I liked it more than many other romantic comedies ( 2 weeks notice, serendipity, maid in manhattan, pretty woman etc).

What's With The All Star Cast???

[jtindahouse · 7/10 · 22 September 2004]

Not brilliant but entertaining enough. I don't see how they managed to get as bigger stars such as Denise Richards, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Luke Wilson and Jay Lacopo to star in this obviously not going to be a massive hit movie. The storyline was basically pretty weak and I was shocked especially at Ben Affleck who seemed to have such high standards in his films. Same thing with Matt Damon. I didn't understand why Matt Damon was given that crap role that he could obviously not do anything with. Even though it was obvious he took the role just to do a movie with his mate Ben I can't see why he didn't ask for another role, something that he could make himself look good with. Ben Affleck was average which surprised me. While the role wasn't perfect for Denise Richards she was perfect for the role. She was the perfect beautiful sexy woman. Luke Wilson was good but not great and the standout was without a doubt Jay Lacopo, who really was excellent. Had the movie been a bigger hit I feel it was the type of role that can land an Oscar if we just forget about the dance scene at the end which made no sense whatsoever and partly ruined his great performance. I also thought for such an unknown the director (Jordan Brady) did reasonably well although I'm sure with such an all star cast he had a lot of help from all the experience that was with him.

Much better the second time

[crwgriff · 6/10 · 10 September 2022]

The first time I watched this movie, half the time I was questioning myself as to why I was wasting time but the other half I was laughing really hard. The second time I watched was with my husband who thought it was hilarious. It was even better the second time when I knew what was going to happen. My husband described it as dorky funny and I had to agree. I don't normally like or enjoy dorky comedy, but this one grew on me. I think my favorite scene was at the theatre (bread). Some great actors, some good, and some mediocre. Some very awkward scenes and it was a little drawn out. But overall, I laughed a lot and would watch it a third time...maybe in a year or two.

A lost treasure. Don't miss this one!

[bababear · 10/10 · 17 April 2005]

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 :-)

Pleasantly surprised.

[moviefanforlife · 10/10 · 8 April 2004]

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.

a great, underrated movie

[grinddking · 10/10 · 20 January 2008]

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.

Very refreshing!

[apple_blossum24 · 9/10 · 15 January 2005]

This movie is truly a hidden gem--watch it and you'll experience a delightful surprise. Anyone who can appreciate the feel-good, enjoyable nature of film will find this to be very refreshing. It deserves to be taken off "the shelves". I'm sad it wasn't released in every theater like these lack-luster blockbusters that get shoved down our throats.

It's charming and witty and fun. It's not ostentatious or over the top, just simple and honest, with a clean plot line and great acting. And if you get hung up on details like "that coin would never break that window for real", then you'll miss it. And it's sad to be so jaded.

Matt Damon's cameo was hilarious! And there many other noticeable stars that contribute their talents. Luke Wilson and Ben Affleck have great on screen chemistry and you can tell by watching that they all must have had great fun making this picture. There are also a number of recognizable locations around Los Angeles depicting the softer side of LA we don't often get to see in films these days.

Rent it for a nice girls night in or a friendly get together. PS. The scene at the end with Ben Affleck and Melissa McCarthy (Sookie from Gilmore Girls) is so funny and definitely worth the $3.00to rent this movie.

Could've been better, I'll tell you why

[irontulips · 27 May 2004]

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.

very pleasant

[zimbo_the_donkey_boy · 9/10 · 24 July 2012]

I always wished to meet an angel, though I sure wondered how it'd be. And now I know. I seem to agree with a lot of people that it goes very pleasantly. I'd also like to thank Him for rock music and for summer vacations. You have to think very hard to come up with anything bad to say about this flick. What HAD you thought He'd do about the modern world? It's the 20th Century. You come away wondering WHY you hadn't seen this movie before, and this isn't a BAD feeling. I'm going to go look around the Internet and scare up more of the story on it. Denise Richards was perfect in it. They all were. Hollywood, send us more like this, please. Or have made them a decade ago and send them back.

A lot of fun for one evening

[markopu · 8/10 · 29 December 2003]

I saw a movie and I must say I had a lot of fun. The story is quite smooth although it is not very deep. One very good thing is that except for the begining everything happens in one evening on one place. There are some things that are not logical like breaking car window with a quarter. But they don't work negatively.

A story is something that can happen to anyone although maybe not just so. To understand characters is not difficult and while smiling and laughing you can think something like: "that can happen to me!"

Nice movie for evening, but watching it twice probably wouldn't do any good.

Very fun

[lizhealth1 · 10/10 · 1 July 2012]

I liked this movie... it had me entertained for the full two hours, which is what a movie should do. I loved the lines, there was some very sharp comedic timing and the old boston boy sense of humor really shines through here in addition to the wit. I pretty much love anything Luke Wilson is in, and Denise Richards I have not seen before in a movie, but she was great.. very real.

I felt the movie was very creative, unique not like any other movie I have seen before... something funny at almost every turn. I don't know how I can fill ten lines of review... but if you have not seen it.. it is cute. The funniest little scene of the movie for me.. was affleck on the bike at the end.

Not bad for a movie that went direct-to-video

[jellyneckr · 20 April 2004]

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)