Casual Sex? (1988)

That was an excellent one.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Released in 1988, "Casual Sex?" focuses on two young women, Stacy (Lea Thompson) and Melissa (Victoria Jackson), who go to a health resort to find a "safe" man in the new era of AIDS. Stacy has a promiscuous past while Melissa is a novice when it comes to sex. The former hooks up with a musician (Stephen Shellen) and the latter a nice guy massage therapist (Jerry Levine). Andrew Dice Clay is also on hand.This is a fairly amusing 80's romcom with, thankfully, very little raunch despite the title. Although Thompson is her usual winsome petite self she's physically too thin for my tastes; Jackson is better with her irksome nasally voice, but her character is too bimbo-ish. Still, both are likable enough. Amazingly, it's Dice Clay who stands out as Vinny, a particularly annoying guest at the resort, who has an interesting character arc.The topic of the film -- romance & sex in the 80s -- is told from the woman's point of view and therefore appeals more to women. So the fairer sex will appreciate "Casual Sex?" more than I did, but the movie's still worth catching for men because the three male characters ring true and Dice Clay's performance and his story arc make the movie worthwhile.The film runs 97 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles.GRADE: C+

When you review a movie, you have to struggle with an old philosophical concept. Whatever reality is, we all experience it individually. And that experience is filtered and shaped by our differing intellects and emotions and upbringing. Which means the world seems one way to me and another way to you. S o, how can I tell you if a movie is good or if you should see it, when the movie I see isn't the same the movie you see? It's quite a problem. However, there are times when bridging that divide is simple. When the stark nature of reality is so unmistakable, so undeniable that there can only be one way to understand it. Casual Sex? is just such a thing. I only need to write 4 words and you will know whether this is a movie you will be at all interested in or not. Those words are… Lea Thompson gets naked.If the idea of ogling one of History's Cutest Women appeals to you, you'll definitely want to give Casual Sex? a look. I f not, you can probably give it a pass. Unless you're a Victoria Jackson completest, that is. This is "That Role" for the Saturday Night Live alumnae, the role she was born to play, the role she is better in than anything else she's ever done.Thompson and Jackson play two friends, one promiscuous and one scared of sex, who both find themselves abstinent. One because she's scared of sex in general and the other because she's scared of AIDS. But they've had enough of the chaste life, so they head out for a week at a health spa. The movie that follows can only be described as a girly sex comedy. Though it got an R rating back in the late 80s, it's tame even by those standards and today, it could almost fit on the ABC Family Channel. The ladies spend their time lusting after hot guys and being lusted after by the not-so-hot of the male sex. One of those not-so-hot is the infamous Andrew Dice Clay, playing a G rated version of his New Jersey horn dog stand-up act. Clay is memorable for showing us he can act and for demonstrating that men did not wax themselves back in the 80s. He's basically a walking carpet when he takes his shirt off.Among the other notable things about Casual Sex? is the look back it gives us on the horrible fashions of the Reagan era. I know people love to rip on the 1970s, but the bad, music video influenced clothes of the 80s are a sight to behold. It's also interesting to watch a movie where the opening credits are nothing but words on a blank screen, instead of the mini-movies they've become today.Even though the "sex=death" atmosphere of the late 80s is clearly what inspired the filmmakers, they stay far away from that theme for the most part and settle in to tell us a mildly amusing tale of Victoria Jackson's character becoming comfortable with her own body and Lea Thompson's character…well, she really doesn't learn much of a lesson or resolve any issue. She's darn cute though.Feminists, however, should be warned about Casual Sex?. Even though it's directed by a woman and was written by women, the movie still believes that all it takes is the right man to solve a woman's problems. There is an alternate ending to the film that's more politically correct, and watching it makes the real ending to the movie seem even more odd.Ultimately, though, all you need to know about Casual Sex? is those previously mentioned 4 words. If you see this movie sitting on the shelf at your local video store, just remember those words and you'll know exactly what to do.

Director Genevieve Robert has attempted to make a comedy-drama that makes serious comment about modern day sexual relations, and with "Casual Sex?" she is well wide of the mark.The storyline is very weak (concerning two young girls' search for the perfect guy), while the serious and moral content makes very little impact. Don't be deceived by the title.Finally, the comedy only works very occasionally, but look out for Andrew Dice-Clay in a stand out performance as the 'Vinman'. "Casual Sex?" may have been much better made purely as a send-up of sex in the 80's.Thursday, July 2, 1992 - Video

Very light, very superficial "comedy" about Thompson and Jackson at a singles resort. After seeing Clay's stand-up act, I was really blown away by him in this. His "Vin Man" is the best thing in this movie, and one of the most memorable characters in any 80s-type movie. I still didn't like the movie, but he was fun to watch.