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SYNOPSIS:
When Byron hits the big time, no one is happier than his girlfriend
Tiffany - that is until she catches him flirting with his
sly new project manager. Call in the doctor - the Love Doctor
that is. Using her knowledge of the male psyche and her new
Five Step Program, Shante puts their relationship to the test
and proves that when it comes to winning at love, you've got
to learn to become a master at the game!
MOVIE
REVIEW
Love
can be so simple, if only we stop playing games, like those
in this movie which
has its philosophy all set for you to snag that lady or man
of your dreams, and
convert him to that obedient lap dog that obeys your every
wish. While Will Smith's
Hitch was all about teaching that clueless man in gaining
confidence to go after a
hot girl way out of his league, Vivica A. Fox's Shante Smith
is all about stepping
in to assist those who need a lift in theirs and provide some
quick fixing in
troubled times.
And that's
via her patented 5 Step Program, through which this movie
decides to play
out like an instructional video, especially when Fox breaks
the 4th wall and
addresses the viewer direct as she goes into the nuts and
bolts implementation of
her program. Otherwise, unlike the prequel which was made
back in 2001 called Two
Can Play the Game, she takes a backseat here as the movie
is firmly about the rough
patch that a couple Byron (Jason George) and Tiffany (Jazsmin
Lewis) go through.
In a rip-off
of television's The Apprentice, Byron is recently crowned
as The
Trainee, and with google-box fame comes unwarranted attention
from the ladies, and
making things worse is when your immediate superior of your
new firm start hitting
on you. When your girlfriend walks in when you're in a compromising
position, that
surely spells trouble with a capital T. So here comes Shante
as she dispenses her
brand of advice in counselling sessions that the couple attend,
and so begin the
bulk of the story that showcases a host of tips and tricks
that couples play on each
other.
The pace
is quite uneven, and you'll dread watching the couple go through
their
paces as you wonder why they just can't bare their feelings
and get it over and done
with. Then again, that might mean we have no movie, does it?
There's nothing rocket
science about the 5 Steps Program, but you do have to agree
that there are times
which they make the obvious seem real because chances are
you'll probably know of
people who have utilized the exact same roadmap to punish
their other half. Scene
stealer here is probably Byron's good friend Gizzard (played
by Chris Rock's brother
Tony Rock), yet another loud mouthed trash talker who basks
in his friend's fame to
get women, and gets the better lines, even though they aren't
politically correct.
As Byron's confidante and chief strategist, it's actually
more of a Four Can Play
the Game instead.
In
summary, if you're looking for a lazy Sunday matinee kind
of show, then look no further than Three Can Play That Game.
It's not as sophisticated as Hitch nor does it have any A-listers
in it, but it does have its fair share of limited moments
that will probably make you take stock and wonder if the same
tactics had been applied by you, or worse, subtly on you,
without you knowing!
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Three Can Play That Game DVD comes with a total of
six deleted scenes, running a total of less
than 4 minutes. You get to play all, or select to watch each
scene on its own. Frankly, they don't really add much if they're
put into the movie, with nothing consequential in them to
be warranted an inclusion in this section to begin with. Subtitles
in English only are available here.
Besides
the deleted scenes, you get a whole host of Previews
like the prequel to this movie Two Can Play The Game, This
Christmas, First Sunday, Are We Done Yet?, Damages Season
1, Crossover, Bobby Z, Stomp the Yard, Motives 2: Retribution,
The Contractor and Edison Force. Phew! Oh, and since they're
all from Sony, there's also a short "Blu-Ray is High
Definition" featurette too.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
No
complaints in these departments. Despite being a straight
to DVD movie, the technical aspects are not scrimped upon
and we have quite a gorgeous anamorphic widescreen transfer
in pristine conditions, though of course the nature of the
movie didn't take advantage of the audio presentation available.
MOVIE
RATING:
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Stefan Shih
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