Wednesday 1 October 2008

Film Review: Three Men and Two and a Half Men


After the tragic death of Steve Guttenberg during the filming of last year’s Three Men and a Baby Whale, fans of the Three Men film series were divided as to whether another sequel to the hugely popular Three Men and a Baby should be made. Director Ian Pinchcock has ignored the desires of the fickle masses, and jumped straight into making a fourth film, Three Men and Two and a Half Men.

Original Three Men cast members Tom Selleck and Sam From Cheers are joined by eighties throwback actor Corey Haim in the role vacated by Guttenberg. The plot of 3M&2&1/2M (catchy!) revolves around this masculine trio being forced to look after a dorky simpleton, his fat son and Charlie Sheen, after Tom Selleck’s character rescues them from a sinking dinghy. Fans of the unfathomably popular sitcom Two and a Half Men will love seeing their favourite characters gurning their way through two hours of inoffensive fart jokes and hilarious homosexual relationship misunderstandings with Haim et al.

Indeed, there is a lot to love about this film, from the bit where Charlie Sheen is walking in one direction, sees an attractive woman and changes direction to follow her mid-sentence, to the bit where the eponymous three men are forced to hide the eponymous two and a half men when having a romantic dinner for six with their girlfriends. And who can forget the bit where the fat kid burps? I’m still laughing at that bit now.

But fans of the original …and a Baby, …and a Little Lady and …and a Baby Whale will be disappointed by the lack of the familiar subtext wherein three males are brought together by the steadying influence of an immature female. I know there are numerous clubs and societies dedicated to discussing the constant feminist undertones in the 3 Men oeuvre, and they will be dismayed by the fact that the three men are not joined together by a female, but by a dork, a fat kid and a womanising buffoon. The overwhelming masculinity of this film is such that I had grown an extra testicle by the time the credits started rolling.

In summary, Three Men and Two and a Half Men is a relatively enjoyable romp through the psyche of the vapid American male, and Corey Haim does a good job of stepping in Guttenberg’s shoes. But there is still something lacking once one gets beyond the moustaches and farts, and that thing is women. I give this film three stars, which means you’ll avoid it in the cinema, but you might watch it on DVD later. And when you do, you can look out for the ghost of Steve Guttenberg, which is rumoured to appear behind a curtain in one of the scenes.

Incidentally, the makers of this film are already planning a sequel, Three Men and Two and a Half Men and the Man in the Iron Mask. I bet it’s rubbish.

11 comments:

Falwless said...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA


Oh dear.

Some Guy said...

That is pure gold!

Dr Zibbs said...

Bwa hahaha - Funny post. Especially like the Charlie Sheen turning in mid sentence.

Bitterly Indifferent said...

I stormed out of the theater halfway through Three Men and a Baby Whale and demanded my money back. I found the whale to be an exceptionally poor actor, completely unable to convey any emotion beyond "seeking krill." Absolute crap.

BeckEye said...

This is fantastic. And I will watch anything with Corey Haim in it. Well, except The Two Coreys, which I gave up on after 4 episodes. And Dream a Little Dream, which just looks like shit on a stick. But everything else is great.

Except Silver Bullet.

Red said...

Becks: Dream a Little Dream is awesome! You should watch it.

TIR: I had no idea about The Guttenberg. If you know anything about me (and you don't), you know I have an unhealthy love for The Guttenberg. I think *sniff* I need to take the rest of the day off...

The Imaginary Reviewer said...

Fal: Was that for the Photoshop or the review?

Some Guy: Many thanks!

Zibbs: Does he do this in 2 and a Half Men? I have to guess because whenever I flick through the channels and it's on I scream and change channels immediately.

PMJG: Yeah, that was one of the film's stumbling blocks. I think he was a stand-in for Willy in Free Willy 3: Three Willy, but since that debacle, roles have been few and far between.

Beckeye: License to Drive is one of the best films ever, up there with Castle Freak.

Red: The DVD extras on 3 Men and a Baby Whale show the stunt gone awry in which Guttenberg snuffs it. Maybe watching it repeatedly would give you closure. I believe it'll be on the America's Most Tragic Bloopers TV show soon.

Anonymous said...

I was sorely disappointed when I discovered that Two and a Half men didn't have a cut in half guy. I'm just saying.

words...words...words... said...

I can't wait until they add Milton Berle and Sid Caesar to the cast and make "It's a Man Man Man Man World!"

ÄsK AliCë said...

OHEMGEE I can't wait for Three Men and Two and a Half Men and the Man in the Iron Mask to come out...what a review that will be!

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