Two Girls and a Guy (Blu-ray)

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The two female leads are mixed in their performances. Heather Graham is a lovely woman and a good actress, but she is clearly outmatched in talent by Downey as she often feels as if she is overplaying her character. There are other times when her character feels genuine, but for the most part the character of Carla showed little emotional depth and the drinking scene between her and Natasha Gregson Wagner was hardly believable. The drinking scene was Wagner´s only saving grace as the actress was able to deliver her lines at a fast and furious pace, but nearly every line of dialogue from the relatively unknown actress felt forced and as if she was speaking to the camera and not her costars. While Graham was neither a standout nor a failure in her role, Wagner was so badly outclassed by the talented Downey that she hindered the impact of several scenes in the film. I put her performance on par with that of Marilyn Ghigliotti in "Clerks."

I enjoyed watching this pared down and basic film, but only because of the wonderful performance of Robert Downey, Jr. and the odd humanity he brought to his flawed character. There were a few very good lines to be delivered by Downey and his co-stars, but the story and the direction were not enough alone to make "Two Girls and a Guy" entertaining. Downey saves the film and with each new revelation or attack from Graham and Wagner´s characters, I found myself anxiously waiting how Downey would respond. Watching Downey´s character fail in his fake suicide attempt and then simply acknowledging that his action was "fucked up" was pure hilarity and perfectly acted. It was a unique scene that was early enough in the film to set the tone for the remainder of the film and Downey was on top of his game.

Video:

I was surprised at how clean looking "Two Girls and a Guy" was and while this very basic film is hardly a visually pleasing experience, the high definition presentation is technically sound. Framed in x.xx:1 widescreen, this million dollar film is good in depth and color as the neon coloring of some of the lighting fixtures in Blake Allen´s inherited loft look very good. However, the general décor of the apartment is not colorful enough to make "Two Girls and a Guy" a visual standout. Detail is pretty good and the three attractive actors are not betrayed by the high definition clarity as detail is not strong enough to show every imperfection of the human face. The brick exterior of the building shows good texture as does the fabric of Downey´s attire. Black levels are good and the dark scene in Blake´s bedroom suffers only minimally in detail. The transfer does nothing wrong, but its low budget limits the film´s visual appeal.

Audio:

Throughout the film I could hear my left and right channel speakers power up after going to sleep with nothing much to do during the film. There are a few musical selections and one scene has Wagner´s character dance to an up tempo dance selection, but the vast majority of the scene is dialogue based and the dialogue is strongly anchored in the center channel. The rear speakers are silent through nearly the entire speaker and the subwoofer channel gets the day off. This is a very minimal film when it comes to sound design. The best sounding part of the film is Downey´s piano playing towards the very end of the film as it nicely fills the entire front soundstage. The big shouting scene between the three characters made for a hectic experience, but thankfully the vocals are never betrayed in clarity throughout the film as they often sounded too clear and artificial.

Extras:

There are not a lot of bonus offerings provided on this catalog release title from 20th Century Fox. The disc boots with a nice promo clip for the Blu-ray format and then sends the user directly to the film´s menu where it asks the user to select either the R-Rated Version (1:24:23) of the film or the NC-17 Version (1:25:39) which contains a few more sexual moments between Heather Graham and Robert Downey, Jr. in which the acts being committed are more represented although there is no nudity in this film. The Commentary by Director James Toback, Robert Downey, Jr. and Natasha Gregson Wagner can be played while watching the R-Rated version and has the three discussing the film in length in what is a decent track with a lot of detail that reveals that Toback wrote this film with Downey in mind. A Conversation with James Toback (20:43) is a brief retrospective conversation with the film´s director. The Theatrical Trailer is also included.

Closing:

"Two Girls and a Guy" is a peculiar film and even more peculiar as a selection to bring to Blu-ray. Primarily a three actor, one set film, "Two Girls and a Guy" tells an interesting story that is flawed and limited. Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner do their best to deliver the goods as two women who discover they are is a polygamist relationship with the same man, but neither can deliver a powerhouse performance in the way that Robert Downey, Jr. does. I absolutely love watching Downey, Jr. and feel he is one of my generation´s great actors and feel it is a shame his career was off track for a few years due to drug addiction. He is the sole reason to watch this film and the limited Blu-ray of this small film makes purchasing the picture a difficult decision. This movie is certainly a rental choice, but those who hold Downey, Jr. in high praise may feel the price is worth it.