It seems likely that Two's a Crowd will find itself expanded upon after its success as an indie short. The film co-stars Angus Castle-Doughty (Hollyoaks, Shadow & Bone, Showtrial) and Andy Burse (Shadow & Bone) as two struggling, diametrically opposed actors whose fates collide when they both show up for the same audition. As, or perhaps misfortunate, would have it, the two aren't particularly compelling individually but exhibit more than a bit of a spark when paired together. 

In real life, Castle-Doughty and Burse met one another during auditions for Shadow & Bone and went on to play best friends in that very show. The coupling, which they refer to as a bit of a UK thing historically, led to their own exploration if just the opposite was true - what if they actually hated each other? 

While Two's a Crowd succeeds on the success of their unique energies woven together, the film also benefits from the presence of the likes of Pam Ferris (Matilda, Call the Midwife, Harry Potter), Hugo Speer (The Full Monty), and comedian Shaparak Khorsandi (Live at the Apollo). 

Burse's Henry is a joy, the more laid back of the two actors with an approach to acting that is casual and barely committed. Relatively untrained, Henry is a free spirit with spontaneity that's always fun to watch. On the flip side, Castle-Doughty's Finlay is an academically trained actor who obsesses over his reviews and does something resembling an obsessive method acting. 

The two together? Oh my. It's like The Odd Couple come back to life. 

Two's a Crowd is an entertaining film from beginning to end, though there's never really any doubt that there's more meant to be here than simply this 21-minute short film. Given an opportunity to really flesh out these characters, Castle-Doughty and Burse would really shine and this film would be an absolute blast. You can catch the film for yourself on Youtube. I'd watch for a project to come out of this one and here's hoping we haven't seen the last of these characters. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic