Three to Tango (1999)

28% of critics liked it
(65 reviews)
46% of users liked it
(36,131 ratings)

In this romantic comedy of mistaken identity, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are a pair of struggling but talented Chicago architects given the chance of a lifetime: Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), an extremely wealthy business tycoon, is considering hiring them to… More In this romantic comedy of mistaken identity, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are a pair of struggling but talented Chicago architects given the chance of a lifetime: Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), an extremely wealthy business tycoon, is considering hiring them to design a multi-million dollar cultural center. However, Oscar and Peter aren't the only ones who've been asked to contribute ideas for the project; Decker and Strauss (John C. McGinley and Bob Balaban), two highly successful designers that Oscar and Peter used to work for, have also been approached by Newman, who thinks that a competition between the two teams would be good fun and good press. Oscar is determined to show his dedication to the job, so when Newman asks him to start keeping tabs on his girlfriend Amy (Neve Campbell), he's happy to oblige. Oscar proves a sad excuse for a private eye, and finds himself falling in love with the woman that he's supposed to trail. To complicate matters, Charles gave Oscar the assignment because he was sure that Oscar is gay, and he hasn't been shy about telling people; soon Amy is convinced, along with most of Chicago. And while Oscar doesn't want to upset Newman, he also doesn't want to start living a lie, especially one that would keep him away from the woman he loves. So when Oscar is named Chicago's Gay Professional of the Year, what's a (straight) guy to do? Three to Tango features such familiar TV faces as Matthew Perry from Friends, Neve Campbell from Party of Five, and Dylan McDermott from The Practice. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Damon Santostefano
Written By: Rodney Vaccaro, Aline Brosh McKenna, Aline Brosh Mc Kenna, Rodney Vacarro
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 22, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Apr 11, 2000
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Bruce Fretts, Entertainment Weekly
McDermott's natural earnestness serves him well as attorney Bobby Donnell on The Practice, but he shows zero flair for comedy.
Tom Keogh, Film.com
Smart, sensitive, and relatively sophisticated.
Robert Horton, Film.com
Three to Tango is too careful, too proper in its approach, to shift into high gear.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Three to Tango trips early and never gets up off the floor.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
An essentially subversive comedy with a bubbly, immensely entertaining face.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Although sometimes amusing, 'Three to Tango' relies on a one-joke emphasis that wears thin early on.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Perry and Campbell's natural rapport is put at the service of an idiot plot.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
If I had wanted a 90-minute episode of Friends, I would've asked for one.
Chuck Rudolph, Matinee Magazine
A whirlwind of bad gay jokes and mistaken motives.

Read all 9 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

I would call this film Kooky. Kooky is a little odd, a little different, a little unexpected but not particularly good. It wasn't predictable and it did hold my attention but overall it wasn't anything special, just refreshingly different. Basically not great but not awful… More
I would call this film Kooky. Kooky is a little odd, a little different, a little unexpected but not particularly good. It wasn't predictable and it did hold my attention but overall it wasn't anything special, just refreshingly different. Basically not great but not awful either! Better than In & Out but that's not saying much eh!
Jason S

I liked this one and I thought the cast was great. Oliver Platt was awesome in this role and he played off well with the others. It was a simple story but the actors made you care about what was going to happen.
Candy R

Three's a crowd! Rom com love triangle.
Stuart B

A very funny and like-able rom-com
Dean M

Matthew Perry does good performance by pretending as a gay man behind his bastard boss and boss' beautiful mistress in this great sexy, funny and irresistable comedy.
Leigh R

Kinda cute.
Sanjaya &

A very lovely comedy..... I watch it maybe 2-3 years ago... And I want to watch this movie again...
Sarah G

Good but could be heaps better.
Mr. C

Underwhelming. I did LOL a few times in the middle & near the end. But the whole first 1/2 of the movie was flat, unfunny & far too drawn out.
Sarah B

Matthew Perry playing on that Friends episode where everyone thinks he's gay. Not enough to sustain a film.
Leo L

Love this movie.