Threesome (1994)

Threesome is that rare ’90s campus movie that’s actually about something: how desire scrambles our self-image, how friendship gets rewritten under pressure, and how intelligent people can still make gloriously messy choices. Andrew Fleming gives the premise a sharp, talky wit—Ebert was right to single out the dialogue—while Lara Flynn Boyle, Josh Charles, and Stephen Baldwin play the shifting chemistry with enough sincerity that the laughs land and the awkward silences sting. The vibe is playful but surprisingly tender, a romantic comedy with a dramatic backbone that treats sexual confusion and experimentation as human, not sensational. It’s definitely not for viewers who want a cozy, consequence-free romp (or who bristle at frank R-rated candor), but if you’re in the mood for a smart, candid time capsule that’s braver than its reputation, it’s worth the watch.

Threesome wants to be a provocative, open-minded college romance about messy desire and friendship, and you can feel it reaching for something more honest than a standard love triangle. The problem is it often mistakes “edgy” for “insightful,” with a thin script and undercooked characters that make the emotional fallout feel more like a contrived exercise than a lived-in story. If you’re expecting sharp comedy, real erotic heat, or a nuanced take on sexuality, this can come off dull and oddly self-conscious despite all the nudity and frank talk. It may still work for you if you like early-’90s indie vibes and can enjoy the actors’ chemistry even when the movie doesn’t fully know what it wants to say.