Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Douglas does his best with what they've given him, and there is some really interesting chemistry between him and George Hamilton, but this film isn't even half baked. More than anything, it's like watching an extended Episode of an 80's soap-- Dynasty, Falcon Crest, take your pick. The motivations (other than sheer meanness) are unclear, the acting uneven (some characters are perpetually hysterical, others practically catatonic)the emotional pitch is fevered, the dialog ridiculous, and the scenery gets thoroughly chewed...To coin (oh all right, steal) a phrase, Two weeks in another town is a tale told by an idiot, full of the sound and the fury, signifying nothing.

Two Weeks in Another Town (1962) * 1/2 (out of 4) The star, writer, producer and director of THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL re-teamed for this film but sadly the end result is somewhat of a disaster. Former star Jack Andrus (Kirk Douglas) leaves a mental hospital three years after a nervous breakdown when his former director (Edward G. Robinson) calls him to Rome for a chance at a comeback. Once the actor arrives in Rome he realizes that everything with the production is a disaster and soon he goes from actor to sound dubbing to directing. TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN apparently was a disaster when director Vincente Minnelli turned it over to MGM who pretty much took the film away from him, re-edited the picture and threw out several key scenes. Who knows how good or bad the original version was but what's available today is quite hard to sit through. Had it not been for the terrific cast this film would probably be unbearable and rank as one of the worst films to come from such a talented group of people. For the life of me I can't understand how bad this thing turned out but I've heard the novel by Irwin Shaw would be nearly impossible for anyone to get to work. The entire film is a major mess as it simply tries to tell too many stories and not a single one of them is of any interest. The Kirk Douglas character just never makes too much sense and there are countless other characters that come in and out of his life without much information. We don't get many stories on why Douglas is the nut he is and we really don't understand the relationship between the director and his alcoholic wife play by Claire Trevor (her and Robinson re-teaming after KEY LARGO). Another problem is that none of the actors seem all that interesting in what's going on. Douglas and Robinson, two great actors, pretty much sleepwalk through their roles. Trevor is just a poor version of previous performances she's given. George Hamilton just really sinks in the film and Cyd Charisse doesn't get much to do. The over-dramatic melodrama going on in this film just makes it downright annoying to sit through and this is only for fans of really bad movies.

Next to TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL looks like an all-around masterpiece of subtle drama. Both take a cynical look at the behind-the-scenes backstabbing in Hollywood.The story gets off to a slow start and then continues to move at a snail's pace, especially through the early scenes where we're introduced to characters like EDWARD G. ROBINSON and his shrewish wife CLAIRE TREVOR. Robinson seems to be playing a thinly disguised version of Darryl F. Zanuck and Trevor seems to think she has to overdo the tirades in scene after scene so she can win another supporting Oscar like the one she snared for KEY LARGO. The school of overacting seems to be rampant here.Irwin Shaw was obviously cynical about his own treatment by the Hollywood studios and has concocted a melodrama that is even more bitter about studio politics than THE BIG KNIFE or THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL.It's strange that Vincente Minnelli would be the director chosen to bring this story to life, but suffice it to say that it's not one of his best directorial achievements. KIRK DOUGLAS does a decent job in the central role but most of the performances are absurdly over-the-top in a film wherein the script itself is the main problem.Sorry, can't work up any enthusiasm for this one.

Despite an abrupt, overwrought climax and less than stellar performances by two key players, "Two Weeks in Another Town" is a fine inside look at the politics of movie making. Comparisons can be made to "The Bad and the Beautiful" (indeed, scenes from that film are included), also starring Kirk Douglas. However, Douglas is even better here than in the earlier film, giving possibly the best, most carefully nuanced performances of his career. Equally strong are Edward G. Robinson, playing a washed up director, Claire Trevor as Robinson's hysterical, shrewish wife and Daliah Lavi, making a star-caliber screen debut. Unfortunately, the studio saddled director Vincente Minnelli with an insipid George Hamilton and an incompetent Cyd Charisse. One can only imagine how much better "Two Weeks …" would be with Richard Chamberlain playing the Hamilton role and Lana Turner, Eleanor Parker, Barbara Rush or Tina Louise playing Charisse's."Two Weeks …" is carefully paced until the final act, which is so rushed it becomes almost surreal, and almost undone in the process. Reportedly, Douglas blamed the editing, which seems likely, given Minnelli's earlier, carefully crafted work. One cannot help but wonder whether "Two Weeks …" hit "too close to home" for some studio professionals, and was sabotaged. In this case, without giving away too much, this would be a perfect example of "life imitates art imitating art." "Two Weeks …" is certainly too melodramatic to garner a "10"; but, it could have been an "8". As it sits, however, "Two Weeks in Another Town" deserves a "7" due to the strong performances and very strong first two thirds.