Homework

The dirty little secret about a lot of teen sex comedies of the ‘80s is they weren’t really all that dirty.  Hidden underneath all that crass marketing and titillating trailers were subtle coming-of-age stories exploring the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic details of teenage life.  The Last American Virgin, Little Darlings and, most famously, Fast Times at Ridgemont High were all far more thoughtful and emotional than critics at the time gave them credit for.  And 1982’s Homework, casting a pre-Dynasty Joan Collins as the sexual mentor for her daughter’s boyfriend, falls into the same category.

 

Tommy (Michael Morgan) and his group of friends are suffering from a variety of sexual frustrations:  Lisa is obsessed with a trendy rock star, Gilles is a horny French exchange student, Mix is an on-the-make lothario, Cookie is a curious choir girl and Ralph has it bad for their young French teacher.  The film bounces between each story as the gang forms a band to try and  impress a local scout at the high school talent show.

 

If you’re wondering where Joan Collins character, Diana, fits into all this, you’re not alone.  At the very least, the poster isn’t misleading; she does ogle Tommy’s firm rump as he politely helps her hang a painting…and she does help him with his nagging virginity problem.  But Collins is merely a background player in a film that crudely splices in dream sequences and flashbacks to increase the T & A  ratio (Collin’s own sex scene is performed by a very obvious body double).  

 

Like a lot of sex comedies from the day, Homework is torn between its artistic and exploitation tendencies.  It’s not exactly a classic even when it’s in top form, but there’s a gritty authenticity to the photography and some real emotion in the performances.  The similarities to Fast Times (which came out later the same year) are remarkable.  It just can’t strike the same balance of carpe diem debauchery and bruised expectations.

 

Big props to Unearthed Films giving people a chance to change their minds about Homework’s legacy in the pantheon of ’80s teen smut.  An archival interview with producer Max Rosenberg answers all the questions you might have in forthright fashion.  He doesn’t shy away from the quality of the film or the scandal that surrounded it (Collins, Carrie Snodgress and Lee Purcell all sued to have their credits removed).  A promotional gallery and slipcover are included as well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tormented

Image
The west coast always struggled to create a creepy atmosphere on screen.  All that southern California sunshine just doesn’t lend itself to ghostly apparitions or gothic castles.  But  Tormented  (1960) gives it a good try, staging its opening scene in an abandoned lighthouse where blackmail turns into murder - and one cover up leads to another.  Director Bert I. Gordon, better known for his giant-sized - but low-budget - monster movies, works well at this level, turning in a film that delivers small scares but perhaps his most  professional finished product. Tom Stewart (played by genre regular Richard Carlson) is a fairly successful jazz pianist whose impending marriage to Meg Hubbard (Susan Gordon) will put him in an entirely new tax bracket.  Trouble is his old flame, Vi (Juli Reding), isn’t taking this lying down.  After  allowing  her to fall to her death in the opening scene, Tom is haunted by disembodied visions of his ex-lover who refuses to go quietly into the afterlife.  And
Read more

All Ladies Do It / Frivolous Lola

Image
Every semi-professional review of erotica probably starts off with the same question:  what’s the difference between porn and art?  The internet age has essentially done away with foreplay; sex is merely the act of completion itself, minus the threat of any malware or suspicious browser activity.  But the work of Italian director Tinto Brass, for all its leering upskirt shots of derrieres and pubic hair, still communicates something that websites like Pornhub never will:  the art of seduction.  All Ladies Do It  (1992), a breezy sexual adventure, follows Diana (Claudia Koll) whose marriage is threatened by her fantasies of dalliances with other men, stories her husband believes are nothing more than exciting role play.  But her loose definition of adultery inspires plenty of promiscuous hook-ups, taking advantage of any (ahem)  loophole  that provides a quick thrill.   Flirting with some hardcore sequences (there is an abundance of fully erect fake penises and female genitalia on displ
Read more

The Cat and the Canary

Image
My favorite directors have always been showoffs:  Hitchcock, DePalma, Spielberg (when he’s feeling frisky) and gonzo auteurs like Sam Raimi.  There’s just something about their cinematic ambition, constantly reminding the audience that, yes, there actually  is  someone behind the camera calling the shots.  And that directorial discontent shines through even in the early days of the medium, such as Paul Leni’s 1927 adaptation of  The Cat and the Canary .  While the rest of the industry was still learning the basics of visual language, Leni fills his frame with tracking shots, POVs and dramatic lighting that set the standard for every spook show to come!  Gathered for the reading of the last will and testament of eccentric recluse Cyrus West,  the potential heirs meet up in his decrepit mansion to discover who will inherit the estate and family jewels.  Predictably there is some petty jealousy when young Annabelle West is named the sole beneficiary…that is, if she can be proved sane afte
Read more