Town & Country

With the death of Garry Shandling a couple of weeks back, I've been going back and rewatching some of his film work. Today, I went back and rewatched his 2001 performance in Town & Country.

Warren Beatty stars as Porter, a successful architect who has the perfect marriage to interior designer Ellie, Diane Keaton. On the eve of their 25th anniversary, Porter has a brief affair with a cellist named Alex, Nastassja Kinski, which snowballs into indiscretions with other women, including his best friend's, Shandling, soon to be ex wife, Goldie Hawn. Porter spends the rest of the movie trying to save his marriage while trying to keep it in his pants.

This movie is a bit of a mess. What was supposed to be a small little film with a modest budget ended up going way over budget and over schedule. Beatty, who didn't even direct, demanded too many reshoots and rewrites, taking the film three years to complete. The production took so long that Shandling and Keaton had to leave to shoot other projects. Even when it was finally in the can, the studio let it sit on the shelf for a few years.

This feels like a total vanity project for Beatty. He brought on former lovers and leading ladies, Keaton and Hawn, a former costar, Shandling, and even his Heaven Can Wait screenwriter, Buck Henry. Supposedly his friendship with Shandling dissolved after this film due to the strain.

The impressive supporting cast, which includes Andie MacDowell, Jenna Elfman, Charlton Heston, Josh Hartnett, and screenwriter Henry, are really nothing more than glorified cameos.

I will say that there are a few funny moments, but they are far between. Shandling, Keaton, and Hawn all do great work. Beatty is ok, but it feels like he's aping for the camera a lot.

Overall it's a pretty forgettable experience.

It's available on dvd.