Truly Dreadful Film

The Age of Commercialism

Sorry, this movie sucks

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Carnal obsession is a subject that if treated as a serious subject matter can generate some truly inspired films.This, unfortunately, is not one of them. A premise that in essence is intriguing -- a couple decide to spice up their lives and contact another couple who introduce them to the lives of swingers and get more than they bargained for -- collapses into an incomprehensible mess that's supposedly a "thriller," maybe because Stephen Baldwin portrays a character who's a psycho for no other reason than the script makes him as such and in one scene kills someone while uttering smug lines a la Jack Nicholson (Why? Well, in a "thriller" there's always a murder, right?).Blame it on the screenwriter for having seen too many "Cinemax After Dark" films and trying to make some sense out of beautiful bodies having sex for no other reason than to expose flesh and toned bodies. This is exactly how this movie feels like, with the added notion that swingers are predatory and will disrupt your life in implausible ways. There's not an ounce of believability to this story, character motivations, or actions. Situations are allowed to escalate to a level that is virtually impossible any way you look at it. The dialog that Baldwin has to utter is outrageously bad: "Come on guys..." "Hey guys..." seems to be all he is allowed to say (which brings to mind the language of characters in cheap men's magazines) while preening his teeth, squinting his eyes, and looking almost pretty. No one else registers, so why even bother.It's just sad that the term "erotic thriller" has to be reduced to utter silliness and the requisite violence. For a real erotic movie, go see PERSONA or DAMAGE. This one? Pass.

Fatal attraction for the swingers set. I am hard pressed to say anything nice about this film. Dull, stiffly acted by characters that you don't really care about. No sense of tension, terror or jeopardy seems to develop. The soft-core porn scenes only marginally make the film watchable. The director should have gone the whole way and dispensed with the story and focused on the equally unlikely rompings of the characters. Life is too short to spend on trifles like this. Save yourself the time: I wish I did.

Okay, first off, I'll admit it.. I rented this movie solely because I wanted to see if Kristy Swanson would finally do a nude scene. Well, I don't want to spoil it for anyone expecting the same, but I must (might save you some money). This sex thriller has lots of sex, but not the flesh. Swanson is scantly clad, but not nude. There's lots of flesh scenes, but it's mostly thighs, legs and stomachs. In fact, not a single breast shot was seen. The only nudity in this flick is an underwater butt shot which I think is Baldwin's. And to debate another's review here in the comment section, Swanson did a better pseudo-lesbian scene in "Higher Learning" with Jennifer Connelly.All that said, onto the actual review of the movie. I expected (wanted) a nude Swanson and ended up with a decent B-movie erotic thriller. This movie proves that you can have suspense and eroticism, without the obligatory breasts shot. Predictable at times, it still held my attention throughout and wondering how the experimenting couple would finally be rid of their new partners.For those debating whether or not to rent this movie, wait for it to appear (again) on cable, it will save you $3-$4. But when it does, be sure to catch it because it ain't all that bad.

I only got to see the last 4 minutes of the movie, but based on that and the descriptions listed above, you bet I'm gonna see tape it the next time it comes on. I won't give away the plot, but swinging sex with psychos? Now that's hot!!!