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By
CRAIG BOLDMAN
The 1993 feature "Three of
Hearts," now released on DVD by New Line, is
essentially a comedy of errors that's not played
for laughs. How good an idea is this?
The plot contortions go something like this: bi
sexual Sherilyn Fenn breaks off a relationship
with her lesbian roommate, played by Kelly Lynch,
leaving the distraught Lynch dateless for a family
wedding. To save face at the gathering, she hires
a -- shall we say -- "full service" male escort,
played by William Baldwin.
Smooth Baldwin proves to have such a way with the
ladies that Lynch is convinced he could break
Fenn's heart and drive her back into her arms
where she belongs. Baldwin readily agrees to the
time consuming, convoluted scheme presumably out
of the goodness of his heart -- which doesn't jibe
with his character. And oh, there's also a mean ex
con, who blames Baldwin for sending him up the
river, and who pops in and out of the story just
to complicate things further.
The makers of "I Love Lucy" could do wonders with
material like this, but director Yurek Bogayevicz
and company instead milk it for heartbreak value.
Some intentional humor is scattered throughout,
but it so hangs on the pain of the characters that
it isn't very funny.
Lynch is too desperate, misguided and manipulative
to be a sympathetic character, and Baldwin makes
transformations in character for no discernable
reason. Sherilyn Fenn, the object of everyone's
desires, is okay in her role, but still
unconvincing. And neither Lynch nor Fenn are
photographed to their best advantage; both have
looked better on film.
"Three of Hearts" hinges on too many plot
contrivances. Sorry, too pat.
DVD-wise, we get a bonus alternate ending, a
widescreen presentation (1.85:1 anamorphic), Dolby
Digital 5.1 and English and Spanish subtitles. |
