Hilfe, ich habe ein Date!

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)

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!

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!

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).

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.