Blake is an aspiring actor who just can’t get a break, even though he seems to have all talents. Beside acting, he dances, he sings, he plays piano… He’s still probably very well remunerated since he lives in one humongous multi-leveled apartment. Blake has a really special relation with his sick mother. Yeah… a great guy, ey? Well, his girlfriend Carla thinks so anyway. Oh, and his girlfriend Lou agrees. Exsqueeze me? Baking powder? You read that right, our good man is playing both fields. As the film begins, the two girlfriends find out about each other for the first time. Pissed, they decide to break into Blake’s place and wait for his sorry ass. The whole film takes place in that apartment, in which we see only these three people. That makes for an unusual film with very small resources yet lots of inventivity.

You could compare it to an Actor’s Studio stage play, or something like that.. The movie is uneven, but some of the dialogue is smart and witty. “Two Girls and a Guy” was written and directed by James Toback, who achieves to bring some suspense to this huis clos. The look of the film is interesting, and I liked how the soundtrack centers on the song “You Don’t Know Me”, which is heard in different versions in the film, as an ironic anthem. Of course, for a film like this, what’s essential is to get exceptional performances. Blake is magnificently played by Robert Downey Jr, a friend of Toback for whom the role was written. Downey is an awesome actor. In the film, he lies, he acts, he sings, he’s all over the place! He’s just so cool!

The girlfriends are played by Heather Graham and Natasha Gregson Wagner, who are both cute, funny and talented. The film is all about manipulation, love and lies, and the three leads keep on playing with each other. The two girls sure dump a lot on Downey. Personally, I prefer Heather, but Natasha holds her own real well. The problem with the film is the random feel of the script, which contains some emotional turnovers which seemed not believable at all to me. I mean, sometimes, it’s like these girls are too nice to that charming jerk. But the film remains worth seeing, if only for the awesome performance from Downey.