Highly Overrated But Still Good

Am I Missing Something?

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

An amateur blogger, Bert Rodriguez, introduces us to famous porn star Elektra Luxx, now retired from the sensational days of her stardom. Her films are described in vivid details from the comforts of Rodriguez's living room where he is recording his piece about the luminous star while one hears in the background his mother's voice asking him to take out the trash.Elektra, who finds herself pregnant from a boyfriend who died on the lavatory of a jetliner, has reinvented herself into a teacher for repressed women who has no clue as how to behave in bed. The singer has left a lot of songs which even Elektra did not know about. Elektra is surprised by one of her students, that turns out to be a professional writer who wants to write her memoirs, a sort of guide into the pleasures of sex.There are about three narratives running into the plot, all of which come together toward the end. This is not a film for everyone. Sebastian Gutierrez expanded his previous "Women in Trouble" with an emphasis on the character of Elektra. The comedy is witty as it tackles its subject with an eye toward fun. Mr. Gutierrez even includes a scene where the Virgin Mary has a tete-a-tete with Elektra while she is having a bath!Carla Gugino makes the most of her character; she really is an optimist in a field where one could not think it possible. The excellent Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perhaps the director's alter ego, Bert Rodriguez, a young man in awe of the pleasures he has received from watching all of Ms. Luxx's films. Most of the cast has worked with the director before. Among the supporting casts there are good performances by Marley Shelton, Emmanuelle Chiriki, Adrienne Palicki, Timothy Olyphant, Kathleen Quinlan, Malin Ackerman, and a great cameo by Julianne Moore as the Virgin Mary.Mr. Gutierrez keeps things moving at a quick pace, which benefits the enjoyment of the film. The creator of "Elektra Luxx" shows an irreverent streak for the material he wrote and directed.

Elektra Luxx is the slightly improved sequel to Women in Trouble. If you enjoyed that movie at all, then this one will also probably be worth your time. A lot of the failed attempts at humor where left out this time around, and the story focus also lies more heavily on the characters of Elektra (Carla Gugino), Holly Rocket (Adrianne Palicki), Bambi (Emmanuelle Chriqui), and Bert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). The story lines of those characters in the first movie are continued right where they left off, and they're also joined by a few new faces like Timothy Olyphant, Malin Akerman and Lucy Punch. Elektra Luxx is also a much tamer movie than Women in Trouble, despite the fact that most of its characters are still porn stars. Besides a few curse words, this could have been a PG-13 film. As I said before, check this out if you're interested in the continued lives of the characters from Women in Trouble (the doors are left wide open at the end of this movie for a third entry in the series). Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of reasons to go out of your way to see this.

Sebastian Gutierrez's dialogue oriented 'Elektra Luxx' is somewhat better than his next film 'Girl Walks Into A Bar', at least in terms of writing, especially where dialogue is concerned. It's wittier, fresher and funnier and fits well with the situations. 'Elektra Luxx' also has a film-noire style feel to it. The story of the title character juxtaposes with two others: one about Luxx's 'diehard' and desperate fanboy blogger Bert who's trying to move on with life post Luxx's film career (she quit) and another involving Luxx's former costar Holly. I thought the latter story, though well acted in by Adrianne Palicki and Emannuelle Chriqui, barely contributed to the film and perhaps it should have been left out as it only slows down the pace. The overall pacing is also uneven. At times the lighting feels excessive. The score is well utilized and pleasant to the ears. Carla Gugino is terrific in the title role and she is well-supported by Adrianne Palicki, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kathleen Quinlan and Marley Shelton. There's also an interesting cameo by one of the finest actresses.To sum it up, 'Elektra Luxx' is refreshing. It has a novel premise and Gutierrez steers away from clichés. Some good editing was required to tighten it up a little.

This film is about the life of a porn star who quits the entertainment industry because she got pregnant."Elektra Luxx" is not really a comedy, but a quirky semi-serious drama. There are three vaguely connected subplots, one about the life of Elektra Luxx, another about a blogger and the third about two female friends of Elektra. While the main subplot of Elektra's life is interesting, the latter two subplots seem to add little to the main story. They seem disconnected and seem to function as fillers. Or, they are just reasons to put some soft porn in.I find "Elektra Luxx" not so engaging or captivating as it potentially could be. What surprises me the most is the number of big names in the film, such as Joseph Gordon Levitt, Malin Akerman and even a long cameo by Julianne Moore.