The characters are superbly believable, which is why it's all the more frustrating that I really didn't like this film, and I'm not sure where the script writer was trying to take it. Disturbingly, the LA Times bills it as "Joyful, romantic and genuinely sexy!". If you find this film romantic and sexy, much less joyful, I suggest you lay off the dating scene for a while.
Here are some assumptions the film's script writer seems to make:
1) Normal women don't watch porn, much less rough porn. If she rents pornographic DVDs, she's up for it, or perhaps messed up, or both. We're really not sure.
2) Single women are lonely. They don't want to be spending so much time on their own. They're waiting on you to bust into their apartments under false pretenses and have you force yourself on them. They may say no, get lost or shut up, but they want you, really.
3) Any single woman who doesn't throw herself at the first enterprising jock who comes her way must have a history of abuse. She's messed up. After all, what's not to love about your lies, your stalking, your arrogance and refusal to take no for an answer, your poor conversational skills and your 8ish inch schlong?
The supporting cast provided some comic relief to the uncomfortable plot. I can't think of one performance that was off or didn't ring true. The situation itself is entirely believable - an abuse victim may well be a fan of porn, and have rape fantasies in which she's a victim no more. She may find it hard to cut ties to her abuser and stand on her own feet. She's very likely to find it hard to form close and intimate relationships with others. She may also unconsciously seek out similarly abusive relationships and use them as a crutch - it's what she knows. That's fine - what I found uncomfortable about this film is the way it is packaged up and sold to us as viewers. This is NOT a love story. We could do without the happy music at the end - the aggressive male protagonist shows no character growth throughout this film whatsoever.
I'm intrigued enough that I'd love to hear what Palka was thinking. Perhaps it was intended as cautionary rather than as a happy romantic tale, and some subtle nuances were lost. Reading some of the comments on IMDb though, I'm not surprised that it's apparently missed its mark. "Where do you find a man like that, one so patient and loving and willing to take her with all her flaws?". Puhleeze. This guy is so wrapped up in himself, he doesn't care a whit for who she is, as long as he can get his leg over, one way or another. Where can you find such a man, indeed? Having spent several years on the internet dating scene prior to meeting my husband, I can tell you that such dubious characters are not in short supply.
Here are some assumptions the film's script writer seems to make:
1) Normal women don't watch porn, much less rough porn. If she rents pornographic DVDs, she's up for it, or perhaps messed up, or both. We're really not sure.
2) Single women are lonely. They don't want to be spending so much time on their own. They're waiting on you to bust into their apartments under false pretenses and have you force yourself on them. They may say no, get lost or shut up, but they want you, really.
3) Any single woman who doesn't throw herself at the first enterprising jock who comes her way must have a history of abuse. She's messed up. After all, what's not to love about your lies, your stalking, your arrogance and refusal to take no for an answer, your poor conversational skills and your 8ish inch schlong?
The supporting cast provided some comic relief to the uncomfortable plot. I can't think of one performance that was off or didn't ring true. The situation itself is entirely believable - an abuse victim may well be a fan of porn, and have rape fantasies in which she's a victim no more. She may find it hard to cut ties to her abuser and stand on her own feet. She's very likely to find it hard to form close and intimate relationships with others. She may also unconsciously seek out similarly abusive relationships and use them as a crutch - it's what she knows. That's fine - what I found uncomfortable about this film is the way it is packaged up and sold to us as viewers. This is NOT a love story. We could do without the happy music at the end - the aggressive male protagonist shows no character growth throughout this film whatsoever.
I'm intrigued enough that I'd love to hear what Palka was thinking. Perhaps it was intended as cautionary rather than as a happy romantic tale, and some subtle nuances were lost. Reading some of the comments on IMDb though, I'm not surprised that it's apparently missed its mark. "Where do you find a man like that, one so patient and loving and willing to take her with all her flaws?". Puhleeze. This guy is so wrapped up in himself, he doesn't care a whit for who she is, as long as he can get his leg over, one way or another. Where can you find such a man, indeed? Having spent several years on the internet dating scene prior to meeting my husband, I can tell you that such dubious characters are not in short supply.