The Young and the Foolish (I wonder if this title was thrown in because of the increasing popularity of daytime soap Young & the Restless) is best watched as 60 minutes of California sunshine and freedom, a last glimpse to close out the '70s. The lead character, casually spearheading a scheme to con people out of rental money for a property he does not actually own, gets no comeuppance, outside of the carnal variety. The relatively brisk runtime may be the reason for a lack of more nuanced story in a more plot-focused era of porn, but you don't walk away feeling cheated.
Mike Ranger, as the con artist, is given the type of camera curiosity that often goes to starlets. His opening sex scene (a threesome with his galpal and her boyfriend, who do nothing to contribute to his schemes beyond the boyfriend repeatedly telling him he's going to screw up - the guy doesn't even get a credit) is largely focused on his posterior, while his second scene (a shower quickie with Vicky Lindsay, who sounds oddly like the late, great comedienne Marcia Wallace) features plenty of sensuous glimpses from the back as he strips, as well as a very generous closeup of his generous endowment when they are in the moment. His final scene, with Lindsay and Tracy Walton, has a memorable shot of him sitting on the couch, legs wide, reminding us of his core appeal (this scene may be the film's highlight, due to some very well-captured and energetic face-sitting action). Even in a scene of him wandering through the house and finally interrupting a couple who broke in just to use his bed, a sequence scored to thriller music and filmed in a peephole way that makes you wonder if the tone is suddenly going to darken, there are a number of unnecessary closeups of his pert ass in skintight jeans. Ranger is presented as a piece of meat, but also gives a genuinely likeable, laid-back performance that fits the material just right. If he is best known for Taboo, a film that generally paints him as obsessive and disturbed (fitting the subject matter), this film may be the best showcase of the appeal that made him an industry stalwart in this period.
The darker shift hinted at earlier on finally arrived with the final few reels, as our focus shifts to John Seeman as the house's owner, with Lauren Black as his girlfriend. It's a very unsatisfying relationship for her, as we see in their own encounter, where she is clearly meant to find him tiresome and selfish. While it's admirable to see a porno not go the usual route of a relationship that is meant to be joyless yet has gonzo sexual encounters to keep the audience horny, it's a very jarring change from the breezier nature of the rest of the movie.
The final scene takes us back to Ranger and his arm candy (and her arm candy, I guess), driving off to Mexico. For just a second, you wish you were going with them.
Mike Ranger, as the con artist, is given the type of camera curiosity that often goes to starlets. His opening sex scene (a threesome with his galpal and her boyfriend, who do nothing to contribute to his schemes beyond the boyfriend repeatedly telling him he's going to screw up - the guy doesn't even get a credit) is largely focused on his posterior, while his second scene (a shower quickie with Vicky Lindsay, who sounds oddly like the late, great comedienne Marcia Wallace) features plenty of sensuous glimpses from the back as he strips, as well as a very generous closeup of his generous endowment when they are in the moment. His final scene, with Lindsay and Tracy Walton, has a memorable shot of him sitting on the couch, legs wide, reminding us of his core appeal (this scene may be the film's highlight, due to some very well-captured and energetic face-sitting action). Even in a scene of him wandering through the house and finally interrupting a couple who broke in just to use his bed, a sequence scored to thriller music and filmed in a peephole way that makes you wonder if the tone is suddenly going to darken, there are a number of unnecessary closeups of his pert ass in skintight jeans. Ranger is presented as a piece of meat, but also gives a genuinely likeable, laid-back performance that fits the material just right. If he is best known for Taboo, a film that generally paints him as obsessive and disturbed (fitting the subject matter), this film may be the best showcase of the appeal that made him an industry stalwart in this period.
The darker shift hinted at earlier on finally arrived with the final few reels, as our focus shifts to John Seeman as the house's owner, with Lauren Black as his girlfriend. It's a very unsatisfying relationship for her, as we see in their own encounter, where she is clearly meant to find him tiresome and selfish. While it's admirable to see a porno not go the usual route of a relationship that is meant to be joyless yet has gonzo sexual encounters to keep the audience horny, it's a very jarring change from the breezier nature of the rest of the movie.
The final scene takes us back to Ranger and his arm candy (and her arm candy, I guess), driving off to Mexico. For just a second, you wish you were going with them.