Warren Beatty has never been one of my favorite actors by any means, so it was with a lot of caution that I watched Town & Country. The fact that it's the biggest box office flop in history didn't worry me to much, in fact that was part of the curiosity. No, it was Beatty, but I really liked the rest of the cast and was itching to watch a "grown up" comedy.
Overall, I enjoyed Town & Country. It was a good story, acted out well (even by Beatty did a good job), had a nice mix of humor and drama, and kept my attention through out. The endless re-writes and trips to the editing room does show, but not enough to take my attention away from the story. I just let myself go, and found I got into the film very easily.
In a nutshell, Beatty and Diane Keaton are a 20+ year married Manhattan couple who soon find out that one half of their best friend couple (Garry Shandling and Goldie Hawn) has cheated on the other. This starts a chain reaction of double cheating, sneaking and various mid-life crisis'.
The only drawbacks that stuck out at me were in fact the numerous editing that occurred behind the camera (rumor is Beatty and the director, Peter Chelsom battled over the final cut). Secondary characters seem to pop in and out on a whim (I'm still trying to figure out why Tom - Josh Hartnett - showed up in Colorado in the first place). Also, some of the scenes were borderline hokey for my tastes. Much of the Colorado sequences could've been cut in my opinion. One final gripe is to do with Charlton Heston. Why the guy is still getting roles is beyond me, but I'm even more tired of seeing him doing the same caricature of his gun toting, NRA persona.
Word is that Town & Country missed 13 release dates, cost upwards of $90 million, and caused a battle between the director and his star. I couldn't care less. With movies that have notorious making-of stories, I always find the stories fascinating, but what really matters in the end is the movie. I liked this film, have told numerous people my view and would recommend it to anybody looking for a grown up comedy. Like I said in my summary, its got its flaws, but as a whole, it's a satisfying film.
My grade: B
Overall, I enjoyed Town & Country. It was a good story, acted out well (even by Beatty did a good job), had a nice mix of humor and drama, and kept my attention through out. The endless re-writes and trips to the editing room does show, but not enough to take my attention away from the story. I just let myself go, and found I got into the film very easily.
In a nutshell, Beatty and Diane Keaton are a 20+ year married Manhattan couple who soon find out that one half of their best friend couple (Garry Shandling and Goldie Hawn) has cheated on the other. This starts a chain reaction of double cheating, sneaking and various mid-life crisis'.
The only drawbacks that stuck out at me were in fact the numerous editing that occurred behind the camera (rumor is Beatty and the director, Peter Chelsom battled over the final cut). Secondary characters seem to pop in and out on a whim (I'm still trying to figure out why Tom - Josh Hartnett - showed up in Colorado in the first place). Also, some of the scenes were borderline hokey for my tastes. Much of the Colorado sequences could've been cut in my opinion. One final gripe is to do with Charlton Heston. Why the guy is still getting roles is beyond me, but I'm even more tired of seeing him doing the same caricature of his gun toting, NRA persona.
Word is that Town & Country missed 13 release dates, cost upwards of $90 million, and caused a battle between the director and his star. I couldn't care less. With movies that have notorious making-of stories, I always find the stories fascinating, but what really matters in the end is the movie. I liked this film, have told numerous people my view and would recommend it to anybody looking for a grown up comedy. Like I said in my summary, its got its flaws, but as a whole, it's a satisfying film.
My grade: B