Okay, fellow tapeheads, let's rewind to the mid-90s. Remember browsing those towering shelves at Blockbuster, the fluorescent lights humming above, scanning spines for something… anything… to fill a Friday night? Sometimes you struck gold, sometimes you ended up with a head-scratcher. And sometimes, you found Two Much (1995), a movie practically radiating Miami sunshine and questionable romantic decisions right through the plastic clamshell case.
Sun, Sisters, and Sheer Panic
Picture this: Antonio Banderas, fresh off heating up screens in films like Desperado (1995), playing Art Dodge, a smooth-talking, perpetually broke Miami art gallery owner trying to offload some paintings (and maybe himself) onto wealthy prospects. He finds his mark in Betty Kerner (Melanie Griffith), recently divorced and looking for art and maybe affection. Things get complicated fast when Art also falls for Betty’s fiery, intellectual sister, Liz (Daryl Hannah). What’s a charming rogue to do? Why, invent a sensitive, stuttering identical twin brother named Bart, of course! What follows is pure, unadulterated 90s screwball farce, built on a premise so ludicrously flimsy it practically begs to collapse under the Florida humidity.
This film looks exactly like you remember mid-90s comedies looking – bright, airy, drenched in pastel colours, and filmed on location in a sun-bleached Miami Beach that feels both glamorous and slightly unreal. It’s the kind of glossy aesthetic that practically screamed "major studio comedy" from the video store shelf. You can almost feel the slightly sticky texture of the tape casing just thinking about it.
Banderas Juggles More Than Just Lies
The entire chaotic contraption rests squarely on the shoulders of Antonio Banderas. And honestly? He throws himself into the dual role with infectious energy. This was Banderas really hitting his stride as a charismatic Hollywood leading man, and you see him trying to channel classic comedic actors, switching personas sometimes mid-sentence. The physical comedy required – Art slicking his hair back, Bart mussing it up; Art’s confident stride versus Bart’s nervous shuffle – is demanding, and Banderas sells the frantic desperation surprisingly well. It’s exhausting just watching him sprint between apartments and personalities. Does it always work? Maybe not flawlessly, but his commitment is undeniable. You can practically see the sweat beading on his brow, and not just from the Miami heat.
Sparks Fly On and Off Screen
Of course, Two Much is perhaps most famous now for being the film where Banderas and Melanie Griffith met and fell head over heels, igniting a tabloid frenzy and a nearly two-decade marriage. Knowing that adds a strange, almost meta layer to watching their scenes together. Does Betty have chemistry with Art? Absolutely. Griffith, who knew her way around a romantic comedy after hits like Working Girl (1988), brings her trademark breathy vulnerability to the role. Daryl Hannah, meanwhile, plays the more grounded, sharp-tongued Liz, a good foil for the invented Bart. It's a classic rom-com setup: the gentle soul and the fiery spirit. The supporting cast, including the always welcome Danny Aiello as Art's exasperated potential father-in-law and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Joan Cusack, add some flavour, but this is Banderas's show.
From Oscar Glory to Razzie Noms
Here’s where things get interesting from a production standpoint. The director, Fernando Trueba, was riding high after winning the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for his delightful Spanish film Belle Époque (1992). Two Much, his English-language debut, based on a novel by the great crime writer Donald E. Westlake (who penned classics like The Hot Rock and The Grifters under his own name and Richard Stark), seemed like… well, an odd choice. And unfortunately, the magic didn't quite translate. The film reportedly cost around $20 million – a decent sum back then – but completely tanked at the box office, barely scraping past $1 million domestically. Critics were savage, and it even picked up a couple of Razzie nominations. It's a fascinating example of how tricky the transition to Hollywood filmmaking could be, even for acclaimed international directors. Westlake's novel had actually been filmed before, in France as Le Jumeau (1984), perhaps suggesting the premise worked better with a European sensibility?
A Hurricane of Hilarity or Just Hot Air?
So, does the comedy hold up? Let's be honest, Two Much is pure, high-concept silliness. The farcical elements pile up relentlessly – near misses, frantic costume changes, increasingly implausible lies. It embraces the absurdity, sometimes to genuinely funny effect, other times feeling a bit strained and repetitive. Some of the misunderstandings and frantic scrambling definitely land with a chuckle, particularly Banderas's increasingly panicked reactions. It's not sophisticated wit, it's broad, door-slamming farce painted in bright 90s colours. Viewed through the lens of nostalgia, its earnest commitment to its own ridiculousness is almost charming. Is it a forgotten classic? No. Is it an entertaining slice of 90s star-driven fluff? If you're in the right mood, absolutely.
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VHS Heaven Rating: 5/10
Justification: The rating reflects the film's undeniable energy, Banderas's committed performance, and the sheer nostalgic pull of its mid-90s aesthetic and high-concept premise. However, it's docked points for the often-strained comedy, the predictable plot mechanics that wear thin, and the fact that it largely wastes the talent involved (especially coming off Trueba's Oscar win). It's more famous for its off-screen romance than its on-screen quality.
Final Take: Two Much is a curiosity cabinet find from the back aisles of the video store – glossy, energetic, undeniably 90s, and powered by sheer star charisma, even if the engine sputters more often than it roars. Worth it for Banderas completists and fans of frothy, slightly desperate romantic farces that wouldn't get made today. Just don't expect Belle Époque.