Miles' Rating:

Starring: Antonio Passolini moves from ebullient, otherwordly thrills of "Cafe Flesh 2" and "Devil in Miss Jones 6" to this dark and dour look at the crack-up of three couples who eventually share other's partners before descending into a personal angst. The title is meant to ironic. Fetching Juli Ashton is the sexually aimless wife of Joel Lawrence, who's oblivious to his wife infidelity. Tina Tyler is the icy bisexual wife of miserable Tony Tedeschi, another cheat who opens the film boning Juli in her bathroom while Joel and Tina chat unaware in the kitchen. Then there's womanizing Steve Hatcher who dumps his bile on girlfriend Nikita. Before the two-hour video wraps, they will all swap partners and spiral into sexual oblivion.

Passolini the director captures the anger, frustration and self-loathing that combine to implode so many relationships. The opening scene between Tedeschi and Juli is a superb example of people using one another for reasons even they aren't sure of. But Passolini the writer has more problems. His dialogue frequently bogs down in inane small talk, and his actors have too few big moments that explain their displeasure with life.

Passolini wants the sex scene to spell that out, and some those pairings are powerful. Ashton is particularly good during her girl-girl with Tina when she exposes her budding bisexuality. During one of the best moments, Joel and the abused Nikita find solace with a ripping hump after he drives her home from a dinner party.

Overall, the actors deliver. Joel is his usual good-natured self, Tedeschi taps his grating side, and Tina has the ice queen bit down. But the best performance belongs to Steve Hatcher as the bitter catalyst who sets off many of the story's subplots and gets his at the end of a terrific scene with bar pick-up Chloe. And hats-off to Chloe for stealing another video with a smashing supporting role.

Juli Ashton is the only performer who seems lost in her role. Her character is supposed to be unfocused, but she lacks the core that makes Nikita a heart-breaker and Tina so cold.

An 8. Not the classic some think, but a solid attempt at something more grounded from a fascinating director.

Posted By Miles, www.excaliburfilms.com | 10/12/06 1:58 PM