Antonio Banderas plays Art Dodge (*snort*), a struggling gallery owner and frustrated painter. He makes money by taking paintings to rich widows' homes and telling them their husbands had bought the art before they died. He goes to one house and ends up in the middle of the funeral for the father of Gene (Danny Aiello). Art hooks up with Gene's ex-wife Betty (Melanie Griffith) thanks to some hokey business with a ring from above, and Betty decides on a whirlwind romance and a wedding. Art meets Betty's spiteful sister, Liz (Daryl Hannah), and he falls in love with her immediately for some unknown reason since she acts terrible to him. Art makes up a twin brother, played by himself, to romance Liz. Gene still loves Betty and sends henchmen after Art. Juggling all the antics and brou-haha is Art's secretary Gloria (Joan Cusack, the only bright spot here). Art also has a senile dad (Eli Wallach), who makes "The Golden Girls"'s Sophia seem subtle. You see where the movie is headed in a climactic wedding scene.
How awful is this film? Awful. Trueba's direction consists almost exclusively of closeups. Banderas, perhaps sensing he is on a sinking cinematic ship, mugs and runs around like an over-sugared five year old, trying to elicit some humor. Hannah's and Griffith's characters are clueless. Cusack is trotted in with Griffith for some "Working Girl" magic, but they only have one scene together, and no chance to regenerate any of that chemistry.
"Two Much" is a couple of minutes shy of two hours, and I could only stomach it in twenty minute increments spread out over a week. Chopping at least half an hour off of this would have helped immensely, since the back half of the film consists mainly of Banderas running around and trying to be in two places at once. I know I wanted to be anywhere else besides finishing this.
Stats:
(1995) 118 min. (2/10)
-Directed by Fernando Trueba
-Screenplay by Fernando Trueba & David Trueba based on the novel by Donald E. Westlake
-Cast: Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Joan Cusack, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach, Gabino Diego, Austin Pendleton, Allan Rich, Vincent Schiavelli, Phil Leeds, Sid Raymond, Louis Seeger Crume
(PG-13)
Media Viewed: Home Video
