Customer Reviews

Trois (R-Rated Edition)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My buddies and I made a special day of eating lunch, and going to Magic Johnson's movie theater to see this movie called TROIS.

Let me tell you the place was packed full of people and everyone within ear shot let it be known that they enjoyed the movie. My friends and I talked about the movie so much that many of our co-workers went to see it.

I am going to get it on DVD and we are going to have another girls weakened and watch the alternate ending. Can't wait!

Sure it wasn't the best acting in the world nor the best quality production that I've ever seen- however, with more support from the public, films like this will eventually get the financial backing they deserve. It was very nice to see a movie with a twist, and a twist, and another twist!

Jermaine, that lucky dog. He has a new wife in the understatedly beautiful Kenya Moore, who lovingly waits for him to come home so that she can shower him with affection and whatever else he asks. He also lives in a large modern home somewhere in Atlanta and he has a job in which he is obviously well paid for sitting agonizingly at his desk all day hunched over the same set of papers hoping to have the opportunity to manage,"the Deal". Lord knows, let alone the audience, what's "the Deal. With none of this apparantly satisfying him, he feels the need to bring another woman into his bedroom in order to enhance his and his mate's sex life. Even more amazing, the woman that he pursues in this quest is not the fairest of the maidens. It's at this point I'm ready to make a call to have a contract taken out on him so that Kenya will have an opportunity at a more deserving fate.

It took the entire film for me to figure out just what Jermaine did for a living even though numerous scenes were shot in his work environment and oblique references were made. Moreover, Gary Dourdan as Jermaine, ambles throughout the film with an incessant grimace on his face as if his underwear was on too tight. As for Kenya Moore, what she lacks in acting skill she more than makes up for it in the negligee scene. The only real acting fireworks are provided by Gretchen Palmer's Jade and Solomon K Smith as Terrence. My other gripes include the sex scene which lacked the passion I expected and the inadequately researched and staged courtroom scenes, not to mention the hammy supporting acting.

Having said all of that I must admit that I actually enjoyed watching the film "Trois". It once again brought home the message of be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. Successful in his quest to introduce his wife to the experience of a threesome, Jermaine endures a series of unexpected consequences that offers some very interesting and suprising plot twists that help the movie overcome some of its deficiencies.

Given the paucity of vehicles in the creative marketplace for African-American filmmakers and actors, it's great to see efforts such as this even when they fall short. Personally, I'm always happy to see a Black film that's "Not'N The Hood". Consequently, "Trois" with all of its faults is definitely not a crowd.

This is a movie that is very entertaining just from the sheer concept of it all. I am really glad to see that it is now available on DVD because this is a movie that is worth owning a copy of. I found this movie to be kind of a cross between "Indecent Proposal" and "Fatal Attraction" with a touch of Black spice. Kenya Moore is sexy enough to send a shiver down any man's spine. "Trois" is very provocative if you let your mind escape into the movie...I understand that this movie was filmed on a low budget but then again, so was "She's Gotta Have It". I know of several other people that were curious about "Trois" and ended up enjoying the movie. Now that it's available on DVD, I'll be able to whip it out whenever the time is right.

At first, I was somewhat of a skeptic. I was afraid that this movie was going to be about nothing more than just "SEX". When you hear men on TV Shows talk about how great it would be to have a threesome I thought, "oh great, another Springer moment"; however, this movie is just the opposite. I saw this movie as an educational experience. Sure, some people may find being with two people as erotic (and time consuming), but they never think about what may happen after that one-night of carefree sex has been committed. Would you find the experience exciting or just another note to chalk up on your "I've learned from my mistakes, and I'll never do that again" list? This is a must see movie for anyone who doesn't take the time to answer that one question that lingers in the back of our minds, "What will happen once it's all said and done"? The ending is a shocker, but it makes you think.

I would highly recommend this must-see movie. Trois could be seen as a fantasy for most men, but be careful what you wish for. The very buxom Kenya Moore held her own as a naive wife and Gretchen Palmer's role was hot, and convincing. The movie's ending was electric and will catch you totally off guard. I'm definitely adding this movie to my DVD collection!

TROIS, the second feature by Rob Hardy, director of CHOCOLATE CITY is an erotic thriller with few thrills and even less eroticism. What it does offer is a plot that defies logic and a cold lead male character. The women are a little bit better and are definitely nice to look at. Adorned in negligée that looks like it is at least a size too small, Kenya looks like she is about to burst at the seams. But alas, the filmmakers shy away from nudity and sex barely rises to the level of a daytime soap opera. This is really a shame because Black sexuality is so rarely presented on screen.

As a big supporter of independent film, specifically Black independent film, I can forgive murky lighting and mediocre sound. I'll even overlook minor plot inconsistencies and weak acting, but I find little to endorse here. The story makes absolutely no sense with seemingly arbitrary twists and turns. It also includes a preposterous sub-plot involving a child custody battle.

The only real highlight of the movie is Gretchen Palmer. She seems to be the only one of the major cast members that understands how to play her role for maximum camp appeal. If only Gary Dourdan's character weren't so dour and Kenya took her role less seriously, this might have still made for a fun movie even with it's many flaws. The somewhat similar UNINVITED GUEST, while also quite flawed is a better bet. This film is also devoid of any real nudity, but it tried at least to give its sex scenes some sense of danger and excitement. If you can't wait for UNINVITED GUEST to be released on video and are just starving to see Black sexuality on the screen, I'd say first look for a copy of SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT or perhaps, CITY OF HOPE. In the latter film (which is a serious drama), Angela Bassett and Joe Morton have a nice go at it in one scene. If you've just got to see Kenya Moore, your money would be better spent by buying her calendar or getting a copy of SENSELESS. In the meantime, we'll just have to wait for Kenya to get a role that does her justice.

"Trois" aspires to the feel of soft-core porn, albeit without the sort of explicit nudity that devotes of the genre would hope to see. It also wants to be something of a thriller, which is another major regard in which this 2000 film fails, because I pretty much saw everything coming and it is hard to be shocked when you are not surprised. But you know how it is; you see an interesting trailer, check out a movie, and wish you had stopped with the trailer.

Jermaine Davis (Gary Dourdan) has a promising career as a lawyer and his wife Jasmine (Kenya Moore) has a great body. But is Jermaine happy? No he is not and because he is also stupid it is a dangerous combination. Jermaine dreams of a ménage-a-trois with his wife and another woman. He does not have a specific woman in mind, but one of his co-workers (Soloman K. Smith), knows of a woman who will fit the bill named Jade (Gretchen Palmer). Apparently she fits the bill because her name begins with a "J" as well. However, first Jermaine has to get Jasmine to agree. His argument to persuade his wife to let another woman into their bed? That there is nothing they should not be able to experience and that he is only trying to take their relationship to the next level.

Now, think about this particular line of argument without all the blood rushing to certain parts of the body and if you were Jasmine you would have to be very afraid. How many levels does her husband want to take her to and how long does it take you to come up with a long list of things that she would not want to experience? When Jasmine confides to a friend that this is what her husband wants to do, her friend admits that she did something similar once upon a time and now has to fight off her husband's desire to do something "worse." Not long afterwards, Jasmine agrees to do what Jermaine wants. There are many possible reasons why she agrees, but the most important one is clearly that the movie has to fulfill the promise of its title.

So it happens. "Trois" does not dwell on the big moment; you have a sense for what they are doing and it appears the experience is not solely for Jermaine's benefit, so the ambiguity of the moment is preserved. But then the three of them have to live with it, and that proves to be more difficult than any of them would have thought. Both Jermaine and Jasmine are worried that the other one is still seeing Jade, but that is before weird things start happening and we get to the "Fatal Attraction" part of the proceedings.

That development is going to be unexpected by many viewers and it certainly raises some interesting questions about the moral lesson to be drawn from the story. The filmmakers here are only working with a budget of $200,000 and while the production values reflect the skimpy budget they are trying for something more complicated in terms of the story. But the script, direction, and acting are all barely competent and despite the lurid subject matter the whole thing is just way too tame. You can get some good laughs out of this film, but you know that was not the intent of this film, which does try to deal with some serious subjects.

If the characters are not stereotypical, which is certainly a debatable point, the relationships certainly are. The most sympathetic character is Jade, but the fact that she demands $1000 from Jermaine so that she can pay for her lawyer in a custody fight over her son pretty much shows how twisted things get in this film. Jasmine does things she knows are wrong and then wonders why it is destroying her marriage while Jermaine is just too stupid to see that he is destroying his marriage before, during, or after it happens. In the end I just wish that in addition to this being a better movie that the moral of "Trois" was something more proscriptive.

This had to be one of the worst films I saw last year. It was all too predictable. Sure, a movie with a good three-way is usually not to miss, but I would definitely not reccomend this film. Plus the thing that bothered me the most about the film was that it was too much like "Fatal Attraction". See that film first, and then see this one and tell me the difference.

I enjoy watching old movies and some independent films depending on the plots and titles. The title of this movie was carefully planned and wonderfully executed. It seems to be one of those "make you think" movies. The kind of movie that is on your mind long after you leave the theater. I have been waiting for it to be released to the public because I cannot wait to see it again. This is a must see. It's not a big budget movie but the people behind this film possess much potential. Look to see much from them in the future.

OK. I admit it. I'm one of those who watched this movie hoping to see some skin (Kenya Moore's). But this movie is NOT about a menage a trois. In fact, the anticipated "menage-a-trois" bedroom scene is really quite PG-rated -- and quite forgetable.

Furthermore, if the title of the movie was more consistent with the storyline, I would have given this movie more stars. What the writers of this movie attempted to do is hook the viewer with a steamy storyline, then switch to becoming a serious movie about abuse, obsession, insanity, etc.

The bottom line: If you are buying this movie to see steamy sex -- forget it. This is not that type of movie. But if you like suprise endings -- then this movie is cool.

TP