Exit to Eden

Rating:
Summary: How to Make a Sexy premise UNSEXY
Review: To do that, watch Exit to Eden. As the review on Amazon.com said, the movie seems to be confused on which direction it should go....the comedy route, or a serious straight movie with plenty of erotica.

I, for one, didn't really remember the plot. I was more concern about the potential beefcakes in the film. I do vaugely remember that Paul Mercurio had to hide out on this island while being hunted by Iman, and that he like being spanked.

For a movie that boasts tons of half naked women and speedo claded men, you'd think that everyone of every sexual persuasion would be panting after this flick.

Not so. Based on an Anne Rice novel, which I haven't read, but I am pretty sure was infinitely erotic and probably more funny, Exit to Eden misfire on almost all levels. The main problem is that it is played (perhaps unintentionally) as a comedy...and sex and comedy usually do not mix...and thus diluting any hints of the erotic that the film might want to convey.

The very first scene smack of kiddie porn of a young Paul Mercurio being spanked by his mother (and thus turning him on). That already put a damper on my anticipation of the film.

Dana Delany came across more uptight and sexually repressed than a nun...and here we are suppose to believe that she is this dominatrix who preside over this island of hedonism, designing these weird naughty outfits.

Speaking of outfits, the gold briefs and bikinis the "natives" wore was not flattering at all, making everybody looking they stepped out of a cheesy 1980s rollerblading boogie woogie flick.

And don't even mention Rosie O'Donnell....shoehorned into a black tight leather outfit which threatened to burst at the seam at any moment. If you can suspend your disbelief that virginal Dana Delany rule over this island of sin, you have to do it again to believe a hunky blond CEO of a major corporation is panting after Rosie O.

Exit to Eden had the potential to be an effective erotic thriller, but unfortunately it seems that director Gary Marhsall is a bit squeamish and uncomfortable around the subject of sex and so he toss in some cheap yuks...which didn't quite work.

I for one, often complain how guys in the movies nowadays do not show enough skin. Watching Exit to Eden somehow make me wish otherwise.

In the final analysis, the movie shouldn't be called Exit to Eden. Wherever it exited is someplace I'd rather not be.



Rating:
Summary: Exit now
Review: The good news about this film is that a lot of pretty girls take their clothes off (including the luscious Dana Delany). The better news is that Rosie O'Donnell does NOT take her clothes off. Along the way we get a tour of an island paradise for D/S perverts anonymous that could only come from the mind of Ann Rice.

The plot revolves around a pair of LA cops [O'Donnell & Dan Akroyd] who go undercover(s?) at a resort for the sexually depraved (and perhaps the sexually deprived as well?). Of course, this is all taking for granted that the LAPD has jurisdiction beyond the LA city limits. What they're going undercover for is convoluted & you'll have to see the movie to find out.

The movie is categorized as a loose comedy, although the only funny scenes are the ones with Dan Akroyd. Rosie O'Donnell tries to be funny but, as usual, she falls short. I've always found her to be annoying, and this movie did nothing to change that perception. I'd say that the movie would have been better had they cut out half her lines. The balance of the film is basically a drama, albeit an absurd one.

That said, if you enjoy movies that are semi-fun and full of nudity, this one may be worth checking out. It is not a great movie by any means, but it's not bad. If it didn't have Dana Delany it would probably not be worth your time. With Dana Delany the value of this DVD goes up tremendously.



Rating:
Summary: Flirty, Funny, Sexy, and Sensual
Review: A pity that the movie wasn't filmed as it should have been. Someone said it's a slap in the face to Anne Rice, who's novel was made into a joke with this movie. I strongly agree.

However, it's worth watching--though I roll my eyes through a lot of it thanks to the comedic parts. The book was not written as a comedy, and it shows in this film. A pity the director didn't have the guts to do this film the way the book was written.

I strongly suggest to those who enjoy the theme of this movie to go buy the book. Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty series (written as A. N. Roquelaure) is an incredible read--better then Exit to Eden.

Rating:
Summary: Nice Comedy
Review: The best kinda comedy. Make fun of sex, even the wierd stuff? Who better than Rosie? That and there were some good looking ladies with itty bitty clothes.

Rating:
Summary: split personality
Review: After turning Pretty Woman from a dark story about prostitution into a romantic comedy, Gary Marshall tried the same tack with Anne Rice's nasty little novel about sexual obsession. Well, he made a movie that is neither erotic nor funny. Worse, it feels split down the middle, and needlessly overplotted in order to merge the two sides.

This film comes from the vast middle period of bad Dan Ackroyd films--put it in the same batch as Dragnet. Sometimes dumb and clumsy isn't funny, it's just dumb and clumsy, like a bloated uncle left to watch the kids after Thanksgiving dinner--which begs the question, when did Ackroyd give up on being sharp-edged?