Sorry, this movie sucks

A Brilliant Conflict

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Cute film. It's supposed to be a romantic comedy but I didn't find much comedy in it. The movie moved a little slow as well but not horrible. However, it reminded me of the movies with Drew Barrymore called "Never Been Kissed," except this is about sex and escorts rather than something more innocent. Same storyline with main character being a reporter/journalist, semi-going under cover, falling in love with the other guy, blah, blah, blah.

I chose this film while randomly perusing Amazon Prime's lists, a strange new occupation I find a lot of us pursuing of late. I was looking for something in the vein of a Sebastian Gutierrez indie flick. I chose the movie based entirely on the description and poster, something I never do any more as my time is too precious to gamble on a bad movie. I was rewarded with a pleasant, if unremarkable, film that I'd definitely recommend, but for reasons other than the obvious ones. It wasn't bad and had a decent story but that's not what prompted me to write a review about it.In downtown LA a young woman is earning her keep as a high-priced sexual escort and a young aspiring writer has lost his job and is looking for a good story. He's also addicted to an "instant hookup" app and ends up meeting our lady of the night in a bar when he thinks she's his next match. They form a partnership where he gets his story (about her) in return for watching over her while she deals with unsavory men, and if you can't guess what happens next this is probably the first movie you've ever seen.I found the first 20 minutes or so enticing; the cast was attractive, the dialog crisp, the acting sit-com level or higher and since it opened with a woman having "specialty" sex and the male lead tramping around, it seemed like a film that was going to have an edge to it. It doesn't, and in fact it ends up being lighter fare, topically, than anything you'd see on prime time TV, but it passed the time. I started checking my phone at the half-hour mark and never really engaged again after that but I didn't turn it off either.What really sold me on this film, and has kept me thinking about it for days, was the soundtrack. Not since the 80s or 90s can I think of a movie where I was so intrigued by the music playing underneath scenes and transitions, and the way it flavored my experience of this film. I've spent a lot of time in downtown LA and thereabouts and with the great photography and soundtrack the filmmakers really got the "feel" of the area right. It's not as easy a thing to do as one might imagine; making a film that accurately portrays a location isn't as simple as just planting a camera there, you have to get the feel of it right.I'm also intrigued by films that are focused on sex but don't actually include any sexual content. There are a couple of fully-clothed "humping" scenes in this movie but it's all fairly innocent and unobtrusive. It reminds you that a steamy sex scene with full nudity isn't always necessary to make a point. Films made before the ratings game came into play in the late 60s or so had to rely on technique rather than bared skin to convey sexual tension. Again...how it "feels" rather than simply how rutting looks when you focus a camera on it. It's not a common practice any more and I have no qualms about showing sexuality and nudity, it's just intriguing when it ISN'T shown, especially in a film that is ostensibly about a woman who sells her sexuality for a living.Lastly, I found it interesting that the movie seems to take place in a world populated mostly by Caucasians. It's not something I really thought about until I saw this movie; the idea that these people dwell downtown but rarely encounter any racial (or gender, for that matter) diversity seems odd. Again, having spent a lot of time in these locations it's unlikely to say the least. It's not a judgment call, I'm wasn't offended, just intrigued...had the film been made 15-20 years ago it wouldn't have even crossed my mind.Anyway, worth a look, which is actually quite an accomplishment.

The two performances of Michael Doneger and Lyndsy Fonseca were outstanding in this unusual romantic comedy.At the beginning of the film, it was unclear how the style would evolve. Was this to be a satirical film? a farce? an exposé on prostitution and sex addiction? As it turns out, it was an effective romantic comedy as the relationship of two characters of Mitch and Natalie evolved into a pair of soul mates. There was good chemistry between the actors, as well as some creative dialogue. The characters of Mitch's family, including a hip songwriter of a father and a precocious sister, added to to the comedy.While "The Escort" may not be a great film, it was nonetheless a well-paced rom com, due primarily to two excellent performances.

The Escort is in the news these days, college girls paying their tuition by prostitution. Yet this rather cute rom/com is about a Stanford grad who winds up doing just that, too. But, this flick shouldn't be compared to Pretty Woman...although more lightweight, it still entertains and keeps your attention.The plot is predictable, a journalist trying to do a story on call girls meets one and is allowed to shadow her providing he acts as her quasi pimp...He eventually falls for her and she for him...in this way it's a bit like the classic Irma Le Douce.I'm always amazed how decent films like this one never really make it on the big screens.