Triângulo Amoroso

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")

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!

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)

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...

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.