assume nothing . the phrase is perhaps one of the most used of the 1990's , as first impressions and rumors are hardly ever what they seem to be . the phrase especially goes for oscar novak , an architect who is the main focus of three to tango , a delightful , funny romantic comedy about assumptions and being yourself . novak ( matthew perry ) , a shy , clumsy , chicago based architect , along with openly gay partner , peter steinberg ( oliver platt ) , fights for projects day in and day out . one of these is the job of restoring a popular building for charles newman ( dylan mcdermott ) , a rich , well-known businessman . charles immediately takes a liking to oscar , as he enjoys his personality and sense of humor . seeing oscar as someone he could trust , charles asks him to watch his girlfriend , an unpredictable , adventurous girl named amy post ( neve campbell ) , who makes a living by blowing glass . charles wants to know who she talks to , what she does , and where she goes . the point ? to make sure she's not seeing someone else , of course . oscar gladly takes the job , and meets amy at an art show of hers , and sparks fly between the two from the get go . oscar feels he has found the one meant for him , and he is content with the idea of being with amy . well , another popular phrase of the 90's is " all good things must come to an end , " and this stays true for oscar as well . charles walks in on amy and oscar having a drink one night , as oscar and amy have become great friends , but he doesn't seem to mind . why is this ? he thinks oscar is gay . he's not afraid to share this with him either . oscar stands in shock after the words , " i swear if you weren't gay oscar , i'd have to kill you , " are muttered flamboyantly from charles' mouth . the word spreads instantly through town . will oscar " come out " of his supposed gayness , or will he tell everyone that he isn't ? one would immediately think he would deny the fact , but numerous occurrences come to oscar , which result in the fact that if he denies the fact , he could lose his job with charles . matthew perry doesn't escape his character as chandler on the already classic t . v . comedy " friends , " as both oscar novak and chandler are clueless , shy , and sensitive . nonetheless , perry is hilarious here , and shows that he can handle drama , as obviously , his character suffers quite a bit here . it's wonderful to see neve campbell outside of a horror movie , ( she was the star of scream 1 and 2 , and the upcoming scream 3 ) as she handles comedy superbly here . her voice , smile , and personality are more than perfect for romantic comedies- stay with this genre , neve . neve is delightful as her conflicted character , who feels love for oscar , but knows , based on rumors , that he is gay . as usual , campbell is likable as her likable character . unlike the other two leads here , dylan mcdermott is flat in his dialogue , and is never convincing . when his character his present , mcdermott sets a dull tone to the scene with his horrible acting . stick to the t . v . drama , the practice , dylan . the major weak spot in three to tango is the direction of damon santostefano . no originality or technique is used whatsoever . three to tango is lucky that the script is so edgy and that perry and campbell are wonderful in comedy , or else the film would have been a disaster , as it is just plain boring to look at . three to tango is a film done many times before , as the plot is suspiciously close to 1998's the object of my affection , but the plot has never been completed so well . three to tango's script , written by rodney patrick vaccaro and aline brosh mckenna is fun , fast , and funny , delivering not only original , hilarious gay jokes ( not your run of the mill material ) , but a certain snappiness in the dialogue between characters that always keeps you smiling . unlike last summer's south park : bigger , longer , and uncut and 1997's in & out , three to tango is a comedy in which the gay element is not crude or vulgar . the script is wise to take this route , as gays can't ( i don't think so , anyway ) be offended by this light , playful comedy . ( to prove this , a gay couple was in the audience who were laughing constantly . ) three to tango's climax is a hilarious , clever scene that is pure irony based on the outcome of most romantic-mistaken identity comedies . three to tango is a gem . the bottom line : three to tango is a light , sharp , snappy romantic comedy with a superb ending , and great stars . one of the better romantic comedies of 1999 .
