''Threesome'' is a 1994 American

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scu ...

dramedy film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

, written and directed by

Andrew Fleming Andrew Fleming is an American screenwriter, film director, television producer, television director, film producer, actor, and television writer. He directed and wrote or co-wrote the films '' Bad Dreams'', '' Threesome'', '' The Craft'', ''Dic ...

and starring Lara Flynn Boyle,

Stephen Baldwin Stephen Andrew Baldwin (born May 12, 1966) is an American actor, producer and director. He has appeared in the films '' Born on the Fourth of July'' (1989), '' Posse'' (1993), '' 8 Seconds'' (1994), ''Threesome'' (1994), ''The Usual Suspects'' ...

and

Josh Charles Joshua Aaron Charles (born September 15, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for the roles of Dan Rydell on '' Sports Night; '' Will Gardner on '' The Good Wife'', which earned him two Primetime Emmy Award nominations; and his early wo ...

. It is an autobiographical comedy mixed with social commentary, and is based on Fleming's college memories. The film was given an ''R'' rating by the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distrib ...

Plot

Due to an administrative error two male college students, the shy and intellectual Eddy and the

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n jock Stuart end up with a female roommate. The university thought that Alex was a man (based on her name) and thus the three students are forced to live with each other until the university can move Alex to a female residence hall. Alex falls in love and tries unsuccessfully to seduce Eddy (who is gay); Eddy falls in love with Stuart; Stuart is in love with Alex. The trio become good friends and scare off anyone who tries to seduce the other. Eventually Alex, Stuart and Eddy agree to have an actual

threesome In human sexuality, a threesome is commonly understood as "a sexual interaction between three people whereby at least one engages in physical sexual behaviour with both the other individuals". Though ''threesome'' most commonly refers to sexu ...

that seems to destroy the friendship, and raises the possibility that Alex might have become pregnant. After the threesome, they start to drift apart. Three weeks later the semester ends; Alex moves to an apartment and Eddy gets a single dorm. Eddy (the film's narrator) eventually finds a boyfriend, Stuart finds happiness in a monogamous relationship with a woman and Alex remains single. While they now only see each other for lunch occasionally, they do not seem to regret the friendship they had while in college.

Cast

as Eddy * Lara Flynn Boyle as Alex *

as Stuart *

Alexis Arquette Alexis Arquette (born Robert Arquette; July 28, 1969 – September 11, 2016) was an American actress. Early life Arquette was born in Los Angeles, the fourth of five children of Lewis Arquette, an actor and director, and Brenda Olivia "Mardi ...

as Dick *

Martha Gehman Martha Gehman (born 1955) is an American actress and acting coach, perhaps best known for her role as Ophelia in the 1985 cult classic ''The Legend of Billie Jean''. She also had supporting roles in '' The Flamingo Kid'', '' F/X'', ''Threesome' ...

as Renay * Mark Arnold as Larry *

Michele Matheson Michele Matheson (born August 14, 1971) is an American actress and novelist. Early life Matheson is the daughter of actors Don Matheson and Deanna Lund. Her parents met while performing together in the Irwin Allen science fiction series '' La ...

as Kristen *

Joanne Baron Joanne Baron (born February 3, 1953) is an American actress and Meisner technique acting coach. She was raised in Providence, Rhode Island and attended Classical and Pawtucket High Schools. She received early acceptance to the University of Conn ...

as Curt Woman

Reception

Upon release, the film received negative reviews. The review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

reported that 28% of critics gave ''Threesome'' positive reviews, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 4.41/10. The site's consensus reads, "''Threesome''s titillating title belies a dreadfully dull drama whose attractive stars are handily outmatched by a shallow script".

Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...

' review for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine reads, "We're supposed to get all teary when kinkiness threatens to break up a friendship that was hard to swallow in the first place. There's lots of glossy cinematography, courtesy of Alexander Gruszynski, as the three lovers wander the campus separately, looking contemplative. Now there's a laugh. Eddy, a film student, actually makes reference to

François Truffaut François Roland Truffaut ( , ; ; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave. After a career of more th ...

's ménage à trois classic, ''

Jules and Jim ''Jules and Jim'' (french: Jules et Jim ) is a 1962 French New Wave romantic drama film, directed, produced and written by François Truffaut. Set before and after World War I, it describes a tragic love triangle involving French Bohemian Ji ...

''. Eddy, you wish."

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave the film three stars and wrote "The dialogue is really the film's strongest element. The three actors are all smart, and able to reflect the way kids sometimes use words, even very bold words, as a mask for uncertainty and shyness."

Year-end lists

* 5th worst – John Hurley, ''

Staten Island Advance The ''Staten Island Advance'' is a daily newspaper published in the borough of Staten Island in New York City. The only daily newspaper published in the borough, and the only major daily paper focused on a borough, it covers news of local and ...

'' * 6th worst –

Desson Howe Desson Patrick Thomson is a former speechwriter for the Obama administration and former film critic for ''The Washington Post''. He was known as Desson Howe until 2003 when he changed his name after reuniting with his birth father. Biography ...

, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' * 6th worst – Dan Craft, ''

The Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is ...

'' * Top 10 worst (alphabetical order, not ranked) – William Arnold, ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was fo ...

Home media

In 2001, a DVD of the film was released with some special features: a director's audio commentary, an alternate ending, various language subtitles and cast talent files.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Threesome (1994 film) 1994 drama films 1994 films 1994 LGBT-related films 1990s erotic drama films American erotic drama films American LGBT-related films Male bisexuality in film Films directed by Andrew Fleming Films scored by Thomas Newman TriStar Pictures films Films about threesomes American sex comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films