review for Three of Hearts on AllMovie

Of the two early-'90s ménage à trois flicks each starring a Baldwin brother and a Twin Peaks babe, Three of Hearts is the slicker but more predictable effort. This twentysomething melodrama features flashing-eyed Billy Baldwin and china-doll Sherilyn Fenn alongside lanky Kelly Lynch as an unorthodox trio of scheming lovers. Despite her character's loathsome plot to hire a male escort to break her ex-girlfriend's heart, Lynch makes a likably gawky protagonist. Baldwin, too, manages to find the heart of his role as the high-paid gigolo who wants to be liked for more than just his body. But poor Fenn gets left with a poorly conceived part that hides her otherworldly looks behind assistant-professor drag and leaves her too often mouthing weak-woman clichés. The real problem with Three of Hearts, though, is its overly manipulative script, which lets the strings show during its drawn-out setup, then falls back on standard-issue love-triangle bathos. In fact, the most satisfying element of the entire picture is the Baldwin character's relationship with his pimp, played with guttersnipe charm and wise-cracking gusto by Joe Pantoliano.