Customer Reviews

Table for Three

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Director Mike Samonek serves up a tasty comedy with a mostly appetizing cast and a story well-seasoned with subtle humor and bite-sized hilarity.

Sophia Bush and Jesse Bradford are terrific as a couple too-perfect to be true, hell bent on wrecking their new roommate's (Brandon Routh) life by over-protecting him from his own self-destructive romantic tendencies. The chemistry between Bush and Bradford make them seem as if they've a been a couple for years, dressing to compliment each other's style, finishing each other's sentences with a practiced and perceptively funny rhythm, or just bantering on endlessly. Jennifer Morrison really lets her hair down here, She is the right tone straight and comedic throughout.

The cab scene is hilarious, highlighted by Morrison's aloofness and Bradford's camp. It would've played even funnier if Brandon Routh were good at comedy. Though Routh is the blandest thing on 'Table's' menu, I actually like his straight take through most of the film. It gives his character a lot more credibility as the lonely loser, and it heightens the comedy aspect of Bush and Bradford's supercouple, making it much more their movie than his. Whether director Samonek did that intentionally or not doesn't matter, it works very well. Kudos to him for letting his cast take off and make this as much fun for themselves as it was for us, the viewer. Routh's performance falls flattest when he's supposed to be funniest, but Bush, Morrison and Bradford do a credible job of playing off Routh and making up for his weaknesses. 'Roseanne' alum Johnny Galecki is a hoot as a recent victim of the not-so-perfect couple.

Table For Three is a sleeper, a film that succeeds by never taking itself too seriously or trying too hard to be funny. Like finding a spot at the great little bistro tucked behind the big and bland restaurant chains, you'll want to reserve this 'Table' as soon as you can.

I liked Brandon Routh in the Superman reboot and I feel he got the shaft after that, the studio treated him terribly so I was rooting for the underdog all the way through this one. Routh is actually very good as Scott, once you got over the premise that he is supposed to be utterly without friends; surely he is too handsome and personable for that, and yet his dealings with Warners did give him this sad air of one left out in the cold, so who knows, it COULD happen. Others have commented that he isn't that funny, but he doesn't have to be, Jesse Bradford and Sophia Bush are almost too funny, you get tired watching them steal scenes from each other, and it's a relief when they leave the screen for a moment.

The writing has its ups and downs, that's for sure. If the writing had been better I would have given 5 stars to this film, for it had an original premise, one I don't remember seeing before in any film: how a couple can become a "couple monster," a sort of borg like creature that devours the single and spits them out still halfalive. My wife and I were looking at ourselves in a terrible paroxysm of guilt thinking of how often we had acted like Ryan and Mary, perhaps not so one-dimensionally, but still. Maybe the film does have a sort of ancestor in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? which uses some of the same material but gives it a twist with the enigma of the son who may not really be a real person. I had never seen Sophia Bush before, but here she is splendid and she really seems to be so into the character that she fizzes like a firework, and as for Jennifer Morrison, she is pretty adorable (she is also an actress new to me) and at first I thought she must be the daughter of Jan on The Office, for she shares so many of the veteran actress' mannerisms and facial expressions, while even her vocal register is similar.

Yes, it is terribly vulgar, and yes, it is the sort of movie that leaves red herrings gangling all the way through it, but I liked it a lot! (One thing I thought of was, if Scott could hear Ryan and Mary so clearly every time they had sex, why didn't he mention it to them? And also, we see him early in the movie with a roommate who has been transferred to another country: didn't he ever hear his roommate getting it on, or is it that maybe he liked it when it was the one guy, but just couldn't deal with this combo?) (But if they straightened that out, whole layers of plot would have had to go, so, that's comedy for you, it's murder!)

I tumbled on this movie by chance on TV, and was glued to the screen until the very end. At first, i thought it was a TV show, and thought the screen writing was excellent, and masterly done. The supporting actors ( the couple ) were hillariously funny, such chemistry with sex appeal and flirtatiousness that makes you laugh till the end. i was dissappointed when i can't find it on bluray. The story has great plot, moving in good pace stimulating viewer's emotion up and down just to keep it interesting. I have no choice but to get the Dvd, the only format ( beside Prime ) release. It's weird how some stupid movies got released on BR and some excellent ones like this "Table for Three" doesn't get released. Helllo!!!! I vote for the screen writing, the casting of excellent and fun actors/actresses who were perfect for the roles.

As an actor (who does background work as well), I worked on "Table for Three" (url to its report below), and when the film hit DVD I rented it from Netflix and found it so amusing I purchased the DVD outright.
It is quirkily amusing and would have been "just as funny" in a theatre as it is as a direct-to-DVD film.
Brandon Routh stars as Scott, a somewhat hapless fellow whose life circumstances have him resort to seeking a roommate, ending up renting out to couple Mary and Ryan (Sophia Bush and Jesse Bradford), who not only seem sickly sweet but the two are all but attached at the hip. Quickly their effervescent lifestyle begins to wear on Scott's prefered state of meloncholy, and he cannot discern if they are simply this happy or whether they are manipulating his life (or both).
Scott's slowly rising suspicions aren't helped by Mary and Ryan's acquaintence Ted (Johnny Galecki) whose experiences with Mary and Ryan make him a walking warning against befriending them.
At times the film gets increasingly strange, hilariously surreal and highly entertaining.
[...]

"Table for Three" focuses on Scott (Brandon Routh, "Superman Returns"), who is suddenly single and alone after his girlfriend dumps him during his marriage proposal and his roommate moves thousands of miles away. When he invites delightful, sympathetic strangers Ryan (Jesse Bradford) and Mary (Sophia Bush) to share his apartment, they soon begin to intrude on every aspect of his life, including his new relationship with the girl of his dreams, Leslie (Jennifer Morrison). Routh, absent from the limelight after essaying the Man of Steel three years ago, is very good as a romantic leading man, but the film is derailed by the excessive maneuvering of the couple from hell, when the movie switches from pleasant dramedy to a broad screwball romp that favors sight gags and slapstick over characterization. Bonus extras include commentary with director Michael Samoneck and a deadeningly dull, 30-minute featurette consisting of unnecessary clips and the actors' rambling on and on about motivation and "thematic reach."

I got this movie cause I'm a big fan of Sophia Bush. Turns out her character Mary isn't all that lovable or even likable for that matter. The plot line of "Table for Three" isn't really that original and the acting is way over the top at some parts. Now here's the story.
Scott proposes to his girlfriend after they have gone out for 3 months - reaction being vomiting off the roof (yes, they were having dinner on the roof with violin players and everything at daytime). After that he gets like all depressed and grows a really long beard. His best friend leaves for Germany leaving him alone. Since Scott doesn't have any other friends he's looking for a roommate. We only see five applicants, three of them being ridiculously over the top. We've all seen that in various kinds of movies and shows. Someone is looking for a roommate, a nanny or whatever and there's like these horrible applicants that nobody will ever pick because they are just plain weird. Well, it's worse in "Table 4 3" cause I doubt there is actually people like that out there. I mean ok they might be out there but what are the odds for 3 weirdos like that applying for the same apartment. Losing my point here, moving on. Anyway the other two are Ryan and Mary, a couple that seems perfectly normal and really nice. Scott actually doesn't want to live with a couple but decides otherwise after he gets to know them. And so the story begins. The two obviously have no boundaries whatsoever and Scott finds himself living with two complete weirdos that never fight and have sex so loud nothing can tune it out. Then Scott meets Leslie and starts falling for her but Ryan and Mary try everything to not let that happen. Turns out they need Scott as their third wheel to keep their relationship going and prevent them from fighting...
Now I didn't enjoy this movie at all. I don't like Brandon Routh all that much and Sophia Bush as a kinky weird bitch is not that entertaining either. The only one who did sort of a decent job in that unfunny ridiculous production is Jennifer Morrison.

If you're bored, go ahead and get it. However, I think I should have just rented it - kind of impossible since I am deployed overseas. It was okay - but it was definitely a silver screen / b-rated / good cast, but lower quality kind of movie.

Table for Three is a film that starts out like a typically unfunny chick flick where every single joke seems to miss the mark, however once the storyline kicks in (about a crazy boyfriend and girlfriend who give their roommate frequent headaches with their many crazy antics) this is when Table for Three improves considerably.

Not all the jokes work though. That's the number one thing you must keep in mind. I'd say only about 50% of the jokes work for me personally. This is actually because the guy playing the main character (the guy looking for a roommate) to be somewhat of a weak comedian. He's not very funny at all- it's how he reacts to the crazy events around him that makes the storyline work.

I'm really surprised that the quality of the storytelling very slowly molds into something much better and funnier with time and patience.

Alright, so my rating is a weak 4 star overall rating, but still- I was definitely finding myself enjoying Table for Three the more the story moved along, so I consider this movie a *tad* underrated.

Pick it up for a minor classic in the comedy genre.

Superman, Brooke Davis (One Tree Hill), Leonard Hofstadter (The Big Bang Theory), Dr. Allison Cameron (House); none of them could save this movie from itself. The man of steel, a vapid California babe, a physicist, and a medical doctor...nothing doing.

Table for Three, is supposed to be a sweet romantic movie about a poor guy that acts a lot like Ted Mosby (How I Met Your Mother), he falls in love quickly and wants to get married quickly. He works from home and needs a new room mate. After interviewing a bunch of losers, he finds Mary and Ryan. They seem attentive and nice. The 'hilarity' begins when the pair, a couple since high school, move in. They want to do everything with Scott, especially protect him from falling in love too quickly. It all starts off innocent and happy, but quickly spins out of control with Scott hating the couple.

The strange part about this movie, the last 15 minutes are actually kind of a surprise and are half way decent. Some twists happen that almost save the film. Unfortunately, like a comedian telling a joke and then talking after the punch line, the film kept going for another 5 minutes after it should have ended. There is no reason why I had to know that about the happy couple.

The cast is uneven. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) as Scott, sadly delivers his lines dead pan and with very little emotion, it is hard to fell much from his character. Jesse Bradford (West Wing, the creepy Ryan Pierce), is just so irritating. Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) was sometimes incredibly sexy, horribly cloying, and dumb; not exactly the best combination. Johnny Galecki (Big Bang Theory and Rosanne) was one of the few genuine, believeable interesting characters as a past victim of the Ryan and Mary disease. Jennifer Morrison (House) was absolutely stunning, beautiful, smart, quirky, interesting; and not on the screen nearly enough. The few high spots, Galecki, Morrison and occasionally Bush, were just not enough to salvage the whole film.

Technically this is a simple, fairly low budget film. In general light was good. Sound well recorded. Shots were in focus. But there was nothing creative or compelling about framing, camera work, or editing. If it weren't for the language and nudity, this could have passed for a television program.

The film is rated R. There is a lot of strong language, and sexual innuendo. There is a scene in a strip club with topless women. At one point Sophia Bush says, 'and I even wore panties' pulling up her dress to show her panties. This is the type of humor in the film. There is no violence or gore. Younger viewers, probably depends a lot on tolerance for language, situations, and nudity.

The film is at least 20 minutes too long at one hour and thirty three minutes. The jokes climaxed early and then the comedian kept talking. The pay off was way too late in the film, and then it was diluted with a needless final poke at the happy couple. Most will stop watching after a half hour, Scott is just that boring, and Ryan that irritating.

The DVD includes one of those awful making of featurettes where the actors and directors simply retell the whole story. They have nothing to add to an already overdrawn story. Do not watch this featurette before the film, the entire movie is told in roughly 25 minutes.

Overall this is not a very good movie. Sophia Bush and Jennifer Morrison are pretty and worth watching. The ending is good. But there is just too much irritation along the way.

This movie is about newly single main character Scott (Brandon Routh). He puts out an ad for a room mate, and among the showups are couple Ryan (Jesse Bradford)and Mary (Sophia Bush). They are/seem perfectly normal in this first meet and once they move in, the three spends 24/7 together and Scott becomes their third wheel.

The obvious standouts in the movie are Jesse Bradford and Sophia Bush. They are really awesome as this anoying, sabotaging "couple monster". Their perfomances are hysterical, and they play off of eachother very well. There is nothing wrong with Brandon Rouths performance, but nothing really funny about it either. Scott is sort of the straight charachter that balances out Ryan and Mary, so you could say his slightly unfunny performance isnt of any anoyance. Jennifer Morrisons character Leslie doesnt have much depth, and we dont learn much about her, but she does a great job with what she is given.

The script is incredibly funny, and you have to pay close attention not to miss a lot of subtle, funny humor. The first 5 minutes of the movie are rather dull, but when our couple is introduced, its stays funny throughout the movie. There are so many funny lines and situations in the movie, both based on script and performance, and its clear the director has let the actors go wild with ad libbing and crazyness. Not to give anything away, but many lines such as "Eat ass cake, bitch!" and "Hasta Lasagna" are incredibly funny and there are lots of these in the movie.

This is a movie to check out, either buy or rent, and it will have you laughing hysterically, unless you get emberassed or offended by some raunchy, sexual, cursing, silly humor.