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	Vol.7, No 36, November 1, 1999
	Film funny despite plot By Tom Harshbarger Daily Forty-Niner   What happens when people mistakenly think a man is gay, but he can't say he's straight because it might ruin his career? If it weren't so funny, "Three to Tango," probably wouldn't be so funny.  Matthew Perry plays architect Oscar Novak, the aforementioned straight, and as usual, his sense of timing and his use of physical comedy are on the mark. The only problem is that he's basically playing "Friends" character Chandler on the big screen.  The plot kicks off when Novak and his partner, Peter Steinburg (Oliver Platt), pitch their design idea for a multimillion dollar cultural center to tycoon Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott). Newman is secretary sees the two hugging before the meeting and misinterprets the things they say to each other. When Newman hears that Novak is gay, he decides to use him to spy on his mistress, an artist named Amy Sheppard (Neve Campbell). Novak then attends one of her shows and saves a piece of her art when it starts to fall. She goes to him, thanks him, and, of course, they fall in love instantly. Once Sheppard finds out Novak is gay, she keeps him around as a friend. At the same time, he's still supposed to be spying on her for the boss. This is the basis for all the movie's comedy, wherein Novak takes advantage of his unique situation to win the girl. At the same time, those premises make the movie's plot rather unbelievable. Sheppard knows Novak works for her lover, so why doesn't she suspect anything?  Campbell uses her usually sweet-yet-sexy personality in "Tango." Her part is fairly well acted, although Sheppard seems a bit too naive in many respects. Platt is quite good in his role as Peter Steinburg, who is actually gay.  He encourages Novak to maintain his charade for the sake of the firm and also serves as a confidant. McDermott has made a career recently of playing hard-nosed authority figures, and his role here is much the same. He plays the ruthless businessman quite well.		CSULB reacts to investigation   School all year possible solution   CSU gets more cash for high enrollment   Student rewarded for hard work, dedication Fat cat country   Is food more fun than sex?   Council tackles home-gun dealers Film funny despite plot   The Cramps shine musically despite age   Sting release delivers Letourneau pitches her way into 1999 Hall of Fame Class Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.