The Third Wheel (2002)

Directed by: Jordan Brady | 90 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Luke Wilson, Denise Richards, Jay Lacopo, Ben Affleck, Phill Lewis, Deborah Theaker, Melissa McCarthy, Tim DeKay, Greg Pitts, Wayne Federman, Mike Schwartz, Neal Matarazzo, Jim Lau, Diana Maria Riva, Blas Lorenzo, Buck Kartalian , Rachel Winfree, Matt Damon

‘The Third Wheel’ is a bit of a quirky movie. It is not a standard rom-bowl, which follows the proven recipe. Still, the vast majority of the film is devoted to scenes that take place during the first date of the love-beloved Stanley (Luke Wilson) and Diane (Denise Richards). You shouldn’t expect a comedy where you roll on the floor laughing, some jokes deserve a big smile, but that’s all. Still, ‘The Third Wheel’ is an easy movie to sit out, thanks to decent acting and an intriguing premise.

Right from the introduction to Diane’s (Denise Richards) first day of work at the investment firm where Stanley (Luke Wilson) has been working for some time, he is already impressed by her. He immediately decides to ask her out, but his insecurity plays tricks on him. Despite the urging of his friend and colleague Michael (Ben Affleck), Stanley doesn’t take the bull by the horns. Christmas passes, Valentine’s Day comes and goes, Stanley regularly shares the elevator with Diane, but he never takes the plunge. After more than a year, he finally manages to ask Diane to a theater performance – she just broke up with her relationship – and is surprised how easy it is. Because he took so long before he finally dared, this date has already been played a thousand times in his head and he not only has sky-high expectations, Stanley also knows exactly how it has to go if it is to be a perfect date. But then things go wrong: Stanley accidentally hits a bum. This Phil is not injured, but injured by this collision: his collection of glass animals, which he carries with him in a plastic bag, has broken. Stanley wants to give him a hefty fee for this, but somehow Phil sticks after handing over the two hundred dollars. Stanley and Diane just can’t get rid of him, and even worse, they seem to be getting attached to him!

Meanwhile, in a ridiculous subplot, Michael and the rest of the colleagues are putting together a pool of how long Diane will last with Stanley. The two will always be spied on by someone from the office. Hey! Don’t these people have better things to do?

The actor who plays Phil, Jay Lacopo, also wrote the screenplay for “The Third Wheel.” With so many well-known names in the cast (Matt Damon even has a nice cameo) and the original premise, it’s no surprise that the film was hugely announced in the pre-production phase. After that, however, it remained quiet around this film for a long time. The film was archived by Miramax, and released directly to DVD only later. That is partly understandable because it is not all great, but the film certainly has good points. Denise Richards is less annoying than usual. She also doesn’t have much to do and is therefore exactly valued. Luke Wilson is also well cast for his role as a nervous man who needs a push to finally perform and Ben Affleck also has some comedic scenes. In addition, Jay Lacopo – the least known actor with a lot of screen time – is very convincing. Where it goes wrong with ‘The Third Wheel’ is the screenplay: the film wants to be too much: on the one hand a (romantic) comedy, on the other a drama. Lacopo shows a fresh look, he also regularly makes the viewer think with profound texts, but it doesn’t quite come out here. Nevertheless, the film is nice and relaxing to watch, which is certainly worth a look if you like the work of the actors in question.