Three To Tango film review

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THREE TO TANGO

Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) is a young architect frustrated by his bachelor lifestyle. Working alongside his openly gay business partner Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt), Oscar dedicates all of his time to his job, working towards that one elusive big break that will make their name.

Opportunity knocks when the pair are hand-picked by Chicago tycoon Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott) to compete for a contract to design a multi-million dollar cultural centre. Thanks to a series of "sexual errors" that only arise in Hollywood romantic comedies, Newman is led to believe that Oscar is gay and consequently assigns the young architect to spy on his mistress, Amy (Neve Campbell).

Oscar desperately needs to win the Newman contract so he reluctantly goes along with the misconception and the tycoon's request, oblivious to the possible consequences. Within a couple of hours of meeting Amy, Oscar develops a crush on her (and she on him) but neither act on their impulses: after all, he is supposed to be gay.

A bad situation quickly turns into a nightmare when the media get hold of his story and he is honoured as Chicago's Gay Professional Of The Year. So here's the dilemma: accept the award, win the Newman contract and torpedo his blossoming affections for the girl he loves; or come out of the closet and tell the whole world that, gulp, he's secretly heterosexual.

The set-up of Three To Tango is reminiscent of the 70s sitcom Three's Company in which a would-be chef pretends to be gay in order to secure himself an apartment with two young women. However, the premise isn't the problem here: it's the manner with which Damon Santostefano's film deals with its hero's plight.

Almost every character displays deep-seated homophobia, including Amy, which leaves a bit of a nasty taste in the mouth. Supermodel types, who flirt with Oscar on the bus, turn their noses up in disgust as soon as they read headlines about him being gay. Also, his friends all say they knew he was gay because he liked to cook and is obsessively tidy.