- Director: James Toback
- AMG Rating:
- Genre: Comedy Drama
- Movie Type: Romantic Comedy, Ensemble Film
- Themes: Love Triangles, Mothers and Sons
- Main Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Heather Graham, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Angel David, Frederique Van Der Wal
- Release Year: 1997
- Country: US
- Run Time: 84 minutes
- MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In this darkly comic tale of love and infidelity, Carla (Heather Graham) and Lou (Natasha Gregson Wagner) are both waiting outside an brownstone in Soho and happen to strike up a conversation. It seems both of them are waiting to meet their respective boyfriends, and as they discuss the bright, funny, romantic and monogamous men they've been lucky enough to become involved with, they make a surprising discovery -- they're both waiting for the same man, Blake (Robert Downey Jr.), an actor, musician and compulsive womanizer. As they compare notes on the man they've been unknowingly sharing and what they should do about the situation, Blake arrives and quickly starts trying to talk his way out of the disastrous situation. Writer and director James Toback claims he was inspired to write this project for Robert Downey Jr. after seeing a news report showing him in jail after violating parole regarding an arrest for drugs; Two Girls and a Guy was written in four days and shot in eleven days on a single set, and features excellent performances from Downey, Heather Graham, and Natasha Gregson Wagner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie GuideReview
Two girls have figured out a guy is dating them both. They hear him enter his apartment, which they have broken into, and decide to hide for a moment. Blake enters in grand fashion. Singing an aria with mighty gusto and moving through his apartment with physical authority, as well as great humor, Robert Downey Jr. gives this performance everything he has. Quickly, the women confront him, and he utilizes all of that energy and need to perform, to verbally extricate himself from this uncomfortable situation.There is a third girl important to the story, though the audience never sees or hears her. In between the verbal, emotional, and occasionally physical gymnastics between the three leads, Blake takes calls from his sick mother. It is in these deftly acted, one-sided conversations that the audience gains the deepest understandings of why Blake acts like such a heel. This offscreen character reveals a deeper side of Blake as a character and of James Toback as a writer.
While Two Girls and a Guy feels a little stage-bound (with the exception of the opening scene, all the action takes place in Blake's apartment), Downey's intense performance, with great support from Graham and Wagner, keeps this film consistently watchable and often downright riveting. There is a certain voyeuristic thrill in watching this troubled actor play a troubled guy, but anyone familiar with Toback's work should recognize in Blake his signature character, a charming but immature man filled with a passion so intense it may lead to self-destruction (Fingers, Bugsy, and The Pick-Up Artist, which also had Downey as the lead). Two Girls and a Guy is a mature collaboration between two talented men who have both fought their share of personal demons.
~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Cast
- Robert Downey, Jr. - Blake Allen
- Heather Graham - Carla
- Natasha Gregson Wagner - Lou
Angel David - TommyFrederique Van Der Wal - Carol
