The Age of Commercialism

Pretty Good

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Being a sugar daddy is more than just fun and sex. It requires a certain temperament, one that Grant Zager, the sugar daddy lacks. He is pushy, possessive, and arrogant. It gives cause to wonder why anyone would want to have anything to do with him. Yet he attracts young women who are willing to cats aside all pretensions of morality to make a quick buck. It is uncertain who's is morally more repugnant, the young ladies who are opportunistic whores or the sugar daddy who pays them. Now, this moral dilemma notwithstanding, this is an entertaining movie. The plot is simple, comprehensible, and most importantly, plausible. There is nothing contrived. People are acting act their selfish desires, and, of course, gets them all into trouble. The moral of the story: if you wish to be a successful sugar daddy, treat your "girls" nicely. In turn, they will treat you nicely too, as long as you pay up. After all, call girls don't work for free.

Former "All My Children" mainstay Taylor Gildersleeve,now known as Taylor Black after getting married, together with veteran TV actor Peter Strauss star in this Lifetime TV movie entitled "Sugar Daddies".Kara Jones is a typical College student who is strained due to bills that have placed many Americans as well.The bills concern about going to college as she is in pre-Law or a Political Science student who intends to become a lawyer someday and the medical bills that amounts to $80,000 that his father has to pay after an insurance company scammed her family.Things get worse when she got fired from her job as a waitress and the college internship that she is pursuing does not pay any salary at all.Finances become extremely difficult for Kara that she decided to do what her roommate Shawna does in order to have lots of money.She decided to have a sugar daddy.Kara goes into a "sugar daddy convention" with Shawna and decided to form a partnership with Grant Zager.Just by sleeping with him,she obtains a lot of financial rewards such as $5,000 a month,a brand new Mercedes Benz,goes with him in his private jet and having dates in expensive restaurants in San Francisco, and Grant's willingness to shoulder her father's medical bills.Should I even say that she also got expensive earrings for it?This seemingly works great until trouble occurs when her boyfriend Justin breaks up with her upon learning that she has a sugar daddy,her father's disgust after the discovery of her relationship with Grant, Kara being unable to show up in one of Grant's events, and her friend Lea getting killed. This Lifetime TV movie has a morality tale to tell about going out with a sugar daddy and getting "easy money" would be paid for later in the end as Kara stated when she went back into becoming a waitress.Added to that,she also learned that "prostituting" herself is not something that her parents particularly her father would be proud of.It could have been better had the movie focused on these themes as well as the financial strain that is placed on most Americans such as the expensive tuition fees for college and costly medical bills but the movie became a thriller in the last quarter of its running time with Kara running from people trying to kill her.The performances were also worthwhile for a Lifetime TV movie.Veteran actor Peter Strauss is always reliable for a great performance while Taylor Black has shown no signs of inexperience at well especially during their numerous scenes together.It makes them a joy to watch.

What to do when you have money issues? Work it before you lose it (I may be miss-quoting one of the characters, but you get the point). Not that it is explicitly shown, though there is one pivotal scene where you see a bit more (no "nudity" that would require an R-rating, though this was made for TV anyway, not HBO).Apart from that there are not many Highlights, if you even want to call that a Highlight. You can be sure that this is predictable, although you can't fault the actors, they are trying the best they can. Still this isn't really worth your time, apart from watching beautiful looking people with non-issues and dialog that is cringe-worthy at best

Pretty pre-law co-ed Taylor Gildersleeve (as Kara Jones) explains how difficult it is to make money, then she gets into a dark, foreboding car. One month earlier, we see Ms. Gildersleeve has lost her job as a waitress. Law school is expensive and her auto-mechanic father James C. Burns (as Barry Jones) needs money for medical bills. He may lose the family home. Naturally, Gildersleeve goes out with one of her girlfriends to one of those places where old people hook up with much younger sex partners, for big bucks. Initially reluctant, Gildersleeve is hired by one of the wealthiest seniors in the room, "fossilized" investor Peter Strauss (as Grant F. Zager)...Other than being unavailable on her dad's birthday party, the arrangement works out well. At $5,000 a pop, Gildersleeve has hit the "sugar daddy" jackpot. Alas, this being a "Lifetime" TV movie, things start to go wrong. Gildersleeve loses sexy young boyfriend Griffin Freeman (as Justin). Her life gets even worse when old Mr. Strauss declares, "I like to be choked." For the first half, this is a silly and unconvincing morality drama. With some funny lines ("He's a lonely old man with a drawer full of Viagra"), writer Barbara Kymlicka keeps it running. Later on, director Doug Campbell arrests dwindling interest with "three-way" helper Samantha Robinson (as Lia).***** Sugar Daddies (12/23/14) Doug Campbell ~ Taylor Gildersleeve, Peter Strauss, James C. Burns, Samantha Robinson