Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

THE WOMEN'S CLUB

Michael Pare
THE WOMEN'S CLUB (1987). Director: Sandra Weintraub.

"I know more about how a woman feels being a sex object than any man in the world."

Patrick (Michael Pare) is a struggling screenwriter and full-time bartender with an on again/off again girlfriend named Cali (Dotty Coloroso). One night he meets a successful and wealthy lady named Angie (Maud Adams), who not only wants to hire him for stud services, but sets him up in a house -- with his actor friend Carlos (Eddie Velez) as butler -- where he can "entertain" dozens of Angie's "clients" -- rich gals who want some hot action on the side. Trouble starts when Patrick starts writing a screenplay based on his experiences, and it surfaces that he has taped all of his sex sessions with the ladies. Then Angie finds out about it ... Reminiscent of Lawrence Sander's The Seduction of Peter S, also about a call boy operation [published three years earlier], Women's Club takes a comic approach to the premise with mixed results. Although there are attempts to add a feminist perspective, the movie is basically exploitation with few laughs and some okay performances; Adams [The Man with the Golden Gun] is particularly good and Velez has a certain charm. There is no mention made of condoms, diseases, or pregnancy. A spoof of the sexy eating scene in Tom Jones is actually pretty disgusting.    

Verdict: 'Tis a pity he's a whore. **.                                              

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