assume nothing .
the phrase is perhaps one of the most used of the 1990 's , as first impressions and rumors are hardly ever what they seem to be .
the phrase especially goes for oscar novak , an architect who is the main focus of three to tango , a delightful , funny romantic comedy about assumptions and being yourself .
novak ( matthew perry ) , a shy , clumsy , chicago based architect , along with openly gay partner , peter steinberg ( oliver platt ) , fights for projects day in and day out .
one of these is the job of restoring a popular building for charles newman ( dylan mcdermott ) , a rich , well - known businessman .
charles immediately takes a liking to oscar , as he enjoys his personality and sense of humor .
seeing oscar as someone he could trust , charles asks him to watch his girlfriend , an unpredictable , adventurous girl named amy post ( neve campbell ) , who makes a living by blowing glass .
charles wants to know who she talks to , what she does , and where she goes .
the point ?
to make sure she 's not seeing someone else , of course .
oscar gladly takes the job , and meets amy at an art show of hers , and sparks fly between the two from the get go .
oscar feels he has found the one meant for him , and he is content with the idea of being with amy .
well , another popular phrase of the 90 's is " all good things must come to an end , " and this stays true for oscar as well .
charles walks in on amy and oscar having a drink one night , as oscar and amy have become great friends , but he does n't seem to mind .
why is this ?
he thinks oscar is gay .
he 's not afraid to share this with him either .
oscar stands in shock after the words , " i swear if you were n't gay oscar , i 'd have to kill you , " are muttered flamboyantly from charles ' mouth .
the word spreads instantly through town .
will oscar " come out " of his supposed gayness , or will he tell everyone that he is n't ?
one would immediately think he would deny the fact , but numerous occurrences come to oscar , which result in the fact that if he denies the fact , he could lose his job with charles .
matthew perry does n't escape his character as chandler on the already classic t .
v .
comedy " friends , " as both oscar novak and chandler are clueless , shy , and sensitive .
nonetheless , perry is hilarious here , and shows that he can handle drama , as obviously , his character suffers quite a bit here .
it 's wonderful to see neve campbell outside of a horror movie ,
( she was the star of scream 1 and 2 , and the upcoming scream 3 ) as
she handles comedy superbly here .
her voice , smile , and personality are more than perfect for romantic comedies- stay with this genre , neve .
neve is delightful as her conflicted character , who feels love for oscar , but knows , based on rumors , that he is gay . as usual , campbell is likable as her likable character .
unlike the other two leads here , dylan mcdermott is flat in his dialogue , and is never convincing .
when his character his present , mcdermott sets a dull tone to the scene with his horrible acting .
stick to the t .
v .
drama , the practice , dylan .
the major weak spot in three to tango is the direction of damon santostefano .
no originality or technique is used whatsoever .
three to tango is lucky that the script is so edgy and that perry and campbell are wonderful in comedy , or else the film would have been a disaster , as it is just plain boring to look at .
three to tango is a film done many times before , as the plot is suspiciously close to 1998 's the object of my affection , but the plot has never been completed so well .
three to tango 's script , written by rodney patrick vaccaro and aline brosh mckenna is fun , fast , and funny , delivering not only original , hilarious gay jokes ( not your run of the mill material ) , but a certain snappiness in the dialogue between characters that always keeps you smiling .
unlike last summer 's south park : bigger , longer , and uncut and 1997 's in & out , three to tango is a comedy in which the gay element is not crude or vulgar .
the script is wise to take this route , as gays ca n't ( i do n't think so , anyway ) be offended by this light , playful comedy .
( to prove this , a gay couple was in the audience who were laughing constantly . )
three to tango 's climax is a hilarious , clever scene that is pure irony based on the outcome of most romantic - mistaken identity comedies .
three to tango is a gem .
the bottom line : three to tango is a light , sharp , snappy romantic comedy with a superb ending , and great stars .
one of the better romantic comedies of 1999 .
Output: P