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"Town & Country" Should Soon Be Gone & Forgotten
By David Germain AP Movie Writer Ignore all the doomsaying about "Town & Country," the long-delayed romantic comedy starring Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Garry Shandling. Disregard the rumors about strife on the set, aimless script rewrites, backbiting over who was to blame. Here’s the real skinny on "Town & Country": It’s still a dud, but at least it’s not a debacle. The movie is simply top-heavy on talent and feather-light on story. Other than the basic premise of two old married couples falling apart because of the men’s philandering, the film doesn’t offer much for the star-studded cast to do. It’s short on wit, short on jokes, short on sight gags. Pretty much anything needed to make you laugh, this film is short on. What you get is a shell of a movie that had everything else going for it: nice sets, a colorful range of locations, a good director in Peter Chelsom, supremely talented actors who comport themselves very well given the weak material. The problems go right back to the beginning, when New Line gave the go-ahead to start filming nearly three years ago. There wasn’t a finished script, but everyone counted on smoothing the story out and wrapping it by April 1999, when some cast members were committed to other projects. That didn’t happen, and New Line had a long wait to get the cast back to shoot newly written scenes. Meanwhile, speculation about the problems mounted in the Hollywood trade papers as the movie’s initial release date was pushed back a dozen times. Even if the changes made it a better, funnier movie, "Town & Country" still mostly lumbers along, with pasty lead characters for whom it’s hard to give a hoot. Beatty and Keaton play Porter and Ellie Stoddard, a wealthy Manhattan couple celebrating their 25th anniversary with their best friends, fellow happily marrieds Mona and Griffin (Hawn and Shandling). But Mona soon learns Griffin’s getting some on the side, busting up their marriage. And Porter’s own happy home gradually crashes and burns because of his dalliances. The movie’s opening actually is promising, with co-star Nastassja Kinski sitting naked, back to the camera, sawing away at a cello while Beatty watches from a rumpled bed. In voice-over, Porter ruminates on his infidelity and vows "it will never happen again." The moment is sexy, brooding and sly, raising hopes for an intelligent adult comedy. But it’s over quickly, and "Town & Country" settles into a tedious and unfunny setup, with the first half of the movie spent dividing Porter and Ellie so hubby can go off on some romantic misadventures. The only genuine laughs come in the center portion, courtesy of some uncharacteristically snappy dialogue and nice supporting turns by Andie MacDowell, Jenna Elfman and Charlton Heston. If for no other reason, "Town & Country" earns points for turning NRA leader Heston loose with a shotgun and a crazed look in his eye; it’s good propaganda for the loyal opposition on the gun-control side. After its semi-madcap middle section, "Town & Country" reverts to its previous drowsiness as the characters somnambulate toward the finish line. Getting off to such a bad start, the film may have been impossible to salvage, short of scrapping the footage and beginning again with a decent script. But with the film’s budget climbing by a third to $80 million, all New Line could do was cut its losses. Anyway, "Town & Country’s" troubles are over and forgotten, and the movie soon will be, too. "Town & Country" is rated R for sexuality and language. Running time: 104 minutes.
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