Blake Tamarkin makes his directorial and writing debut with Third Wheel. Tamarkin also produced and edited, alongside Sujit Agrawal. Meanwhile, family members Michael, Paige, Kailey, and Jason Tamarkin all contributed in front of or behind the camera. Lead actor Anthony Casabianca served as an associate producer as well. Clearly, this was a tight-knit indie production with family and friends helping to bring the filmmaker’s vision to life. Did all their sweat, blood, and tears translate into a relatable story and engaging characters?
Casabianca stars as Ray, an aspiring filmmaker who moves back to Chicago from Los Angeles after realizing he wants nothing more out of life than to be with Cecilia (Kailey Tamarkin). But he discovers that she’s been cheating on him, and then Cecilia leaves Ray just before their sixth anniversary. This sends Ray into a tailspin, where he just blanks out at his family’s bar, where he works. Compounding his new sense of loneliness is that his roommate and best friend, Coco (Kelsey Tarantino), has her significant other, Alex (Ricky Lavezzi), move in with them. While the new couple is all lovey-dovey over each other, they do try to include Ray in several of their outings, making him feel like little more than a third wheel on these dates. But things start to look up when Ray meets Lindsay (Carly Wilson), who makes the first move, but he’s too oblivious to notice right away. Can his friends and family help Ray out of his funk? Is Lindsay just a rebound for Ray, or is there something deeper to their connection?
Third Wheel is a romantic comedy in that same way that real life can have funny moments sprinkled in. The montage of Coco, Alex, and Ray, especially during the Halloween event, is both humorous and a little sad. While Coco and Alex are trying to be good friends, they don’t understand that flaunting their love directly in front of Ray isn’t the best thing for him at the moment. Conversations between Ray and his brother also have a silliness to them, yet still feel like real things siblings would say to each other.
Ray faces heartbreak when Cecilia reveals the truth about their relationship.
“…discovers that she’s been cheating on him, and then Cecilia leaves Ray just before their sixth anniversary.”
But the backbone of the film is Ray’s spiral out of love and potentially falling back into it. In that regard, the actor hits all the notes. He’s affable but annoying, sweet but obsessive. The actor walks a fine line between a three-dimensional human and a walking pity party. It is a finely tuned performance that never misses a beat for the entire 107-minute runtime. It helps that he and Wilson share a strong chemistry that immediately cements their characters’ attraction and relationship. For her part, Wilson is funny and charming, though the character is not much beyond a manic pixie dream girl.
The rest of the cast is also good. Tamarkin is beguiling as the woman Ray pines for. Tarantino is great as the well-meaning best friend, who was friends with both Ray and Cecilia. She gets a great speech near the end of the film, and the actor nails every complicated emotion therein. Lavezzi is pure fun, bringing a crazed attitude and passion to the part.
The ending does drag on a bit too long and tidies things up a bit too neatly, considering how realistic the rest of the story is. Still, Third Wheel is an enjoyable and fun experience, thanks to a smart script and a very capable cast. Additionally, the soundtrack is excellent from start to finish.
"…a smart script and a very capable cast."
