Casual Sex? (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Liked it
Story	Satisfactory
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Cute, funny little film about sexual attitudes amoung women
Disadvantages:	Dated themes and music; weird dream sequences

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

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TITLE: Casual Sex?

RATING: ***½

CAST: Lea Thompson, Victoria Jackson, Stephen Shellan, Jerry Lavine, Andrew Dice Clay, Mary Gross, Valerie Breiman, Peter Dvorsky, David Sargent, Cynthia Phillips, Don Woodard, Dale Midkiff, Steve Oedekerk.

DIRECTOR: Genevieve Robert

SCREENWRITERS: Wendy Goldman & Judy Toll

STUDIO: Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME: 97 min.

RATED: R (US) & 15 (UK---re-rated from 18); for sexuality, nudity, language, and brief drug use.

DVD AVAILABILITY: 6 GBP (Amazon; only 5 left in stock)

AMAZON ASIN: B00079FGPI

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INTRODUCTION
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In the early 1980s, sex was still a great way to meet new people. However, Stacy and Melissa are about to discover a new four-letter word for sex in the '80s: HELP!

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A GENUINE CHICK FLICK
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I've mentioned it several times in the past in some of my other reviews, but now I'm going to emphasize it more than ever: I hate the term "chick flick," mainly because I think it is rather sexist and applied to movies by guys who think it will only appeal to girls. There are many movies out there that I think are wrongfully labeled as "chick flicks," such as THE PRINCESS BRIDE, RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS, NOTTING HILL, and LEGALLY BLONDE. All four of these films I love, and yes I'm a guy, so you can say whatever you want, but I don't consider them "chick flicks."

If I were going to label anything a "chick flick" or even a "girlie film" it would have to be a film that has girls as the stars, the screenwriters and/or director are women, it is told entirely from the woman's point of view and geared toward a female audience. How many of those types of films can you really think of? I think they are rather rare, and one of the few films I would put in that genre would be CASUAL SEX?, a witty little film from 1988 that has been rather forgotten in recent years.

Before you read the plot synopsis, it is important to realize that the film was made when AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases became big news topics and the whole "free love" movement was ending quickly; so, the title I think is quite appropriate. Suddenly, attitudes about sex had changed significantly, and the times had become rather cautious when it came to the dating scene. This film focuses on two independent young women who are now determined to seek for something more than just a one-night stand.

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THE MISADVENTURES OF STACY AND MELISSA
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In the first scene, we meet Stacy (Lea Thompson) and Melissa (Victoria Jackson), who have been best friends all their lives, though their sexual histories are strikingly different. Stacy is more adventures and more experimental and has had her fair share of one night stands; Melissa on the other hand has always been scared of sex, and only confesses to have had sex with two people, both of whom she knew very well. This is the 1980s, and the times are changing quickly; after visiting the clinic to see if she is disease-free, Stacy is told by the doctor three words: practice safe sex; of course, she stipulates that she never thought those words would ever appear in the same sentence.

Stacy and Melissa both decide that they are sick of the Los Angeles dating scene and decide to take a vacation hoping to find Mr. Right…so, they decide on the Oasis Health and Fitness Spa. While they initially meet a lot of cute guys, they are soon pestered by a sleazy player-in-his-own-mind named Vinnie, ("I'm the best from the East, I'm a wild and crazy beast, I'm the Vin Man," as he always likes to boast), who is played by comedian Andrew Dice Clay.

Stacy and Melissa both attempt to get involved in the different training festivities being offered by the spa, but realize they have a lot to do get in shape, despite their skinny figures. One night, the spa decides to host a couples night, in which each person is given a flag of a country, and must meet and get to know their respective partner. Stacy ends up The Vin Man, much to her chagrin, and Melissa ends up with a stiff psychoanalyst named Gary, though little does she realize that she has caught the eye of one of the staff (Jerry Lavine). In addition, Stacy begins flirting with this fitness stud named Nick (Stephen Shellan) who---surprise---writes and sings romantic rock songs!!!

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WAIT A SECOND, I THOUGHT SIZE MATTERED
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While it doesn't seem like it, CASUAL SEX? is actually based on a play by Wendy Goldman and Judy Toll which became a modest success in 1985; both women were members of a L.A.-based comedy acting group. Producer-director Ivan Reitman (GHOSTBUSTERS, ROAD TRIP) had purchased the rights and got his wife Genevieve Robert, to direct it; I would guess that the reason for that is because it would have been more appropriate for a woman to direct it. This is the only film she ever directed, and I felt she did an adequate job, though what really makes this film entertaining is the charming cast.

Lea Thompson (forever known as Michael J. Fox's mother in BACK TO THE FUTURE) and Victoria Jackson (who was famous at the time for her number of kooky characters on "Saturday Night Live") both give winning performances as the two contemporary women, and while I found it hard to relate to what the women were going through, I certainly sympathized with them. Several times throughout the film, they would talk directly to the camera and say what they were actually thinking. For example, when Stacy is disgusted at how Vinnie is boasting about his penis size, Stacy turns to the audience and questions why males are fascinated by it ("Do you guys obsess about it? Do you like to measure it and compare it to the penis next to you in the men's room? Do you wish there was some kind of penis-developing cream or machine at the gym?"). Then Melissa just comes over and says, "Gary tells me they are all the same size when they are erect!"

Like most comedians, Andrew Dice Clay is an acquired taste and, in many of his stand-up routines, he tends to be excessively crude; however, here we are treated to a more relaxed---even appealing---Clay, and he doesn't hesitate to use some scenes to tell some jokes. While I wonder if he was cast just to try to drag the male audience into the picture, it didn't seem to work, because the film did mediocre at the box office. Still, I thought Clay was very funny, and I even liked how he developed his character, particularly near the end. The other male characters are rather annoying, particularly Nick's (Stephen Shellen, GONE IN 60 SECONDS), though it was obviously intentional.

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IF I HEAR THAT SONG "HOT, HOT, HOT" ONE MORE TIME…
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While CASUAL SEX? is overall a light, enjoyable---and surprisingly honest--- romantic comedy, it also has its fair share of flaws; for one thing, much of what is in the film is so horribly dated. This film definitely lives in the 1980s, with some embarrassingly bad music; you should remember that this film came out at a time when bands were given such names as "Dripping Sweat." I was especially cringing when Shellen was singing, even though it supposed to be a woman's fantasy; if you really care, the soundtrack has songs from Buster Poindexter ("Hot, Hot, Hot"), Robert Palmer, Gladys Knight and Arrow.

In addition, the dream sequences that Stacy and Melissa have are more bizarre than funny. For example, Melissa dreams of getting married and every guy in the room (even the ones that are married already) get down and profess their love for her; Melissa doesn't know one of the guys and lets him know that, but he says "Yeah, I know you don't know me, but your parents do and they really love me." Stacy, in turn dreams of Nick being the man of her dreams and all her previous sexual partners being insanely jealous; she even imagines Nick confessing to her being a virgin, which is ridiculous to say the least.

I would imagine that any guys reading this review would not be interested in watching this film, though I say give it a chance. Granted, the film is amusing and watchable but never credible; if anything, you might learn a few things. I recommend this film primarily to women, as I'm sure you will all relate to it some ways; Goldman and Toll manage to make a lot of points of women's attitudes about sex and relationships which I'm sure most of you will identify with, even if it is set in a pre-"Sex in the City" era. The film is available on DVD through www.amazon.co.uk, and you can get a copy for only 6 GPB. Hope you all enjoy CASUAL SEX?, and I look forward to reading all of your comments on this review. Take care, Chris.

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SOME CASUAL (AND NOT SO CASUAL) QUOTES
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1) "Hey, Melissa, guess what…Kenny Creeger came over while I was babysitting and we were fooling around and guess what happened?" --- Lea Thompson "What???" --- Victoria Jackson "HE MADE ME TOUCH IT!!!" --- Lea Thompson "Really? What color was it?" --- Victoria Jackson

2) "Is that it? Did we do it? It kinda hurt, but I guess it was good!" --- Lea Thompson "Yeah, yeah…did you see my other shoe anywhere?" --- Stacy's first sexual partner

3) "Can I ask you a personal question? What do you think of this body, huh?" --- Andrew Dice Clay "Uh, I don't know, you are muscular that's all I can say." --- Lea Thompson "Hey, this body is meant to be enjoyed you realize that right?" --- Andrew Dice Clay

4) "Actually, I'm here to do research for a book I'm writing, on the psychosexual tendencies of pre-menopausal females." --- Don Woodard "Yeah…me too!" --- Andrew Dice Clay

5) "Haven't you ever had an orgasm?" --- Mary Gross "Oh, yeah…well not really. Not with someone else in the room anyway." --- Victoria Jackson

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TRIVIA AND CRITIC'S CORNER
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TRIVIA NOTE #1: Screenwriter-director Steve Oedekerk (BRUCE ALMIGHTY, ACE VENTURA, WHEN NATURE CALLS) has a small role in this film as Joey.

TRIVIA NOTE #2: Wendy Goldman had a previous role in Reitman's GHOSTBUSTERS as a Honeymoon bride; while her part was cut from the finished film, she can still be seen on the DVD's deleted scenes.

TRIVIA NOTE #3: Sadly, Goldman's writing partner Judy Toll died in 2002 at the age of 44 due to complications from melanoma; in her final years, she served as a consultant for the hit show "Sex and the City."

CRITIC'S QUOTE #1: "This is a cute but average comedy movie. It's very light, so don't expect for it to be raunchy, and don't miss Andrew Dice Clay's performance!" --- Shadylicious, www.imdb.com

CRITIC'S QUOTE #2: "The film's humor doesn't seem as vital now, though some of its insights and amusements as long as men and women intermingle." --- Doug Pratt, www.dvdlaser.com