A Brilliant Conflict

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

The acting in this movie is really good.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Here we have a sequel which has pretty much nothing to do with the first film in the series. Which is probably a good thing as that first film was quite terrible. Unfortunately this one is really no better. Alyssa Milano plays Lily, a shy girl from Michigan who goes to college in Los Angeles. There she comes out of her shell. And out of her clothes. Milano, at the point in her career where she felt the need to show how grown-up she was, dutifully doffs her top a few times. Honestly that's the only reason this movie exists, as a vehicle to put Milano on naked display. And again being honest that's probably the only reason anyone would ever watch this movie. You want a topless Alyssa Milano you got it. You want a decent movie you are well and truly out of luck.Whereas Ivy, the central figure in the first film, was an unapologetic seductress and homewrecker Lily is a good girl at heart. A bit clueless but good nonetheless. Anyhow her pervy art professor tries to take advantage of her. And one of her fellow students treats her badly and publicly humiliates her so she of course immediately sleeps with him. Eventually she tries to tap into her darker, more seductive side but that effort fails rather miserably. Some other weirdos float around on the periphery of the story and eventually it all comes to an end in what may be the worst final fifteen minutes of any movie ever. The movie had very little going for it throughout and in that ending it completely falls apart. It's an ending which piles one laughable absurdity upon another. The movie's supposed to be a thriller but it ends up as an unintentional comedy. Sadly it's not even a good unintentional comedy. The story stinks, the dialogue is pitiful, the acting is generally terrible and the obtrusive music is just painful. This is a movie with nothing to recommend it. If you're just here for Alyssa Milano's breasts enjoy them. You won't enjoy anything else.

They ripped off the title from an earlier successful trashy movie, "Poison Ivy" with the all-grown-up Drew Barrymore as one of those seductive babysitters, and they ripped off the story from an earlier successful trashy movie, "Embrace of the Vampire" with the exuberantly nubile Alyssa Milano herself.That will give you an idea of how much creative effort went into the making of this film, which is to say, none that you'd notice.Here's the shamelessly permuted plot. Alyssa Milano, nice virginal girl, goes to a Bohemian art school, has an affair with an equally Bohemian guy, starts reading somebody else's diary, takes on some of the traits of the diarist, develops a crush on the sensitive but happily married guru in her painting class, begins to dress Goth, cuts her hair to a wicked length, begins to smoke (gasp!), treats her loving boyfriend recklessly, shuns her art teacher when he finally begins to put moves on her after she's practically thrown herself on him, bosom first, drives art instructor mad, destroys instructor's family, is discovered in flagrante delicto by the wife, throws her black girl friend out of her room, .... zzzzzzzz.The only conceivable reason to see this piece of atrocious offal is to see Alyssa Milano take off her clothes and/or simulate intercourse, which she doesn't do nearly often enough in my opinion as expert on art schools, the perils of wearing black garments, erotic cinema, and the contours of Milano's bosom.This is pretty crummy stuff we're dealing with here. Milano looks fine. How could she look otherwise? But her acting skills are modest, to put it kindly. Nice performance by her insane art instructor, though. Another plus for the androgyne who plays a soothing cello so that our ears are given a respite from the relentless WHANG of the score.I mean, look at this. After a wild party, her alarm wakes her for an early class with her mad art teacher. She rolls out of the bed she's occupying with her boy friend. While she's performing her morning ablutions off screen, her lover begins to complain that she's changing. She's becoming weird. "You're not yourself anymore. I don't know who I'm talking to. I don't know who I'm making love to." Should he really CARE? Whoever he's making love to, the face and body resemble that of Allysa Milano. And let's face facts == no man would ever organize that sort of statement, nor would any man even know what the words mean. "I don't know who I'm talking to"? A WOMAN would say it, but a man? And then, to top it all off, while they're having this faux conversation, she's slinking around the room apparently wearing his jockey shorts, the kind with the fly and double fabric in front so you can't see through them. Has such perfidy ever been shown on screen? Don't miss this if you can.

The biggest problem of this movie is the fact that is presumes to be a sequel to the Drew Barrymore film that came out several years earlier. This is unfortunate, one cannot help but be put off by the fact that none of the original players from PI are in this and it has no connection what so ever to the original (Lily finds Ivy's diary and feels some kinship). Anyone can see this film is about a completely different person. Ivy (Drew Barrymore) was headstrong and used her youth and beauty to manipulate a family whose home she invaded via there outcast daughter. Lily is an "art student" read, innocent young co-ed who's admission to "Art School" (this school seems to exist on another planet) is questionable. Does she have any real talent? Is she there as a plaything for the randy professor ? How much does ones attractiveness enter into ones academic life? We are treated to countless lightweight school movies where pretty young actresses disrobe, dance around and act as props, here is a film that is a cut above, not far above mind you, but I really thought they were trying to say something. Alyssa Milano is so stunning that she can get away with much. Her undressing and very long lovemaking scenes, while soft core, are still very steamy and effective, she really is amazing. Also the film is shot in very lush tones. It is a very pretty film without much plot, but this is appropriate here. I like Alyssa Milano very much and I don't object to her doing STV stuff as the small screen has always been her domain. It's small praise but this is much, much better then Embrace of the Vampire, hey I told you it was small praise. Since these films are often mentioned in the same breath, this one should be pointed out as being superior.

Lily is an art student who has moved away from home to start at a new collage, but also she's having trouble trying to fit in with her other pupils and flat mates. That's until she discovers a box in her closest that has some items that belong to a girl named Ivy. From what she gathered from these items that ranged from sexy clothing, her artwork and to diary, she was one fearless and raunchy girl who liked to play games and tease to get what she wants. So, now Lily strings along her guy who she's seeing and that of her married art teacher who slowly has became infatuated with her.Alyssa Milano… there's no shadow of a doubt that she's best reason for watching this extremely tacky picture; really that's it. When Milano makes her first appearance she looks reasonably daggy, but she sure does look fine either way. The first film, which starred Drew Barrymore and Tom Skeritt I thought, was somewhat dull and rather ordinary. Again this one is no better, but since I'm a sucker for anything that involves Milano, it had me clicked in! This treads the same path of the first flick by presenting a adult thriller that oozes with steamy erotica, so if you like your trashy melodrama, bare flesh and soft core sex, well then this should tickle your fancy. One thing that I thought that the original had over this pointless sequel other then an actual story, was that it had such a heavily grim edge to it. But nuff said about the first film, in-retrospect this one is far more sexy and more steamier than the first. Although the one redeeming factor of the film, of course Milano, can't help that it seems to loose steam soon after it eventually begins. It's hard to put in words, but not much did happen, really. No plot behind the convoluted mess, but to rehash what we've seen before with moments that try to outdo each other, pointless flashbacks of Ivy (not from the first film) and some sequences that miss the point. Even when Milano's character starts acting out the desirable ways of Ivy from her diary it's slightly hypnotic, but that's more to her tempting presence and desirable actions than that of the material. The film's unpleasant ending is one of the things that go beyond the call of nature, but then at least it had some energy going for it, but still it was a bit overwrought. The pacing is at a snails pace and because of that boredom quickly moves in.Since its set amongst an art environment, the whole artiness of it got a bit too shallow for its own sake and it could have destroyed the overall mood, that's if it even had one. But this is what you expect from your run-of-the-mill low budget film that would go straight-to-video without a whimper. Alyssa Milano silky presence evokes such an allurement, but she doesn't just get by with her looks as her performance is definitely above average and Xander Berkeley dished out a more then decent performance. It's just too bad they had to work with such undeveloped characters and a stiff script that was filled with something corny amongst every few lines. Sometimes I thought it was too thick and they had too much to say when it probably would have worked out better with less or none at times. The soundtrack had some sustainable tunes from the easy listening, rock and Gothic… but sometimes it was just too overwhelming in a very cheesy way. I most likely saw the cut version, which I watched off TV, but that's not what really bother me, it was that there were too many ad breaks which made the film drag even more. It's a real long shot to call this schematic flick good, but for the undemanding its light entertainment.Only for those who enjoyed the original or have a soft spot for Alyssa Milano. Obviously, I'll be going with latter.