Also This Week: An Adventure in the 'Country'

A tired, uninventive romantic film plot is born when a happily married architect celebrating 25 years of bliss suddenly catches the seven-year itch. In Town and Country, Porter Stoddard (Warren Beatty) is every post-menopausal woman’s dream husband. He’s rich and successful, not too handsome to be dangerous and blessed with an adorable charm. But suddenly things go awry—a flash of décolletage here and there is enough to evoke in poor Porter a supercharged sexuality. An unbelievable number of affairs later—not even your local final club could provide you with sex this casual—he eventually finds himself picking up women that aren’t picks of the barrel, including a man in drag and a psychotic cellist played by Natassja Kinski. Where he goes from here should be obvious to any fan of the romantic comedy genre; no prizes for guessing whether or not he will get back together with his supportive, though somewhat dumpy wife. Director Peter Chelsom (The Mighty, Serendipity) is better known for his wholesome family fare than suggestive romance, and his skill at putting together anything more than a completely innocent work is greatly doubtful. With the utterly harmless Beatty as the romantic lead, even the cleavage shots lose their steaminess. Diane Keaton as his hapless wife and Goldie Hawn as a longtime friend round out the leading roles. Even with its all-star cast, Town and Country has had a long and arduous journey through the Hollywood studio system. Costing an estimated $80 million to make—a far cry from the minimalist budgets of most romantic comedies—the film has gone through about two years of shoots and delayed re-shoots. Originally scheduled for release in May of 1999, it is now scheduled to hit theaters today.