Reviewed by SexHerald Staff
Aurora Snow is, of course, mainly known for her extensive work on the gonzo side of the porn business, so it's a surprise to see her in a couples-friendly feature. It's certainly a pleasant surprise, however: not only do she and the rest of the cast turn in very solid performances, but the writing is excellent, and genuinely funny when it's supposed to be. Director Saul Goode captures a feel somewhere between the vertiginous camerawork of "The Real World" and the humor of a sitcom like "Friends" -- only with explicit sex, of course.
The setup isn't especially ambitious, but that's not a criticism; it's porn, after all, so a lot of the running time -- time a Hollywood comedy would devote to plot and character development -- is spent on the sex scenes. And a simple plot sure doesn't mean the movie isn't interesting! Here's how it goes: Angel (Snow) and Matt (Jay Ashley, her real-life boyfriend) are both trying to rent the same house. They're also both friends of Trish (Maya Divine) and Peter (Tony Tedeschi), who are having a party at the start of the movie. The obvious solution is for them to share the place, but Trish, Rita (Kylie Ireland) and Nikki (Flick Shagwell) insist it's a bad idea, because men and women can't live together without ending up in bed; Peter, Ken (Steve Hatcher) and Britt (Elizabeth Del Mar) think that's absurd, and so a wager is laid: if Angel and Matt hook up inside a month, Peter, Ken and Britt will pay their first two months' rent, and if they don't, Trish, Rita and Nikki will pay. Not that there's really any doubt in the viewer's mind whether they will: the only question is, will it be before or after midnight on the last day of the bet?
The five sex scenes are both hot and well-integrated into the movie. Tedeschi and Divine, and Hatcher and Ireland, were convincing in roles not often seen in the porn world: married couples clearly in love -- and lust -- with each other. And the slow flirtation between Nikki and Britt is thoroughly endearing, with all the shyness, blushing and false starts of a real budding relationship. But the real acting and comedic successes of the movie comes in the interactions between Snow and Ashley, both when the other characters are present and in their brief morning encounters in the kitchen. The awkwardness of being viewed by their friends as "social guinea pigs," with six people obsessing over whether or not they slept together, is believably palpable. It's obvious they both wish their friends would leave them alone for a while, so they could just get on with their lives, but they're putting up with it because they agreed to the wager. It's rare to find a porn movie that would succeed on its writing and acting merits even with the sex removed, but Cal Vista has produced that exception with Going Down With Love. The performances, both acting and fucking, are above average, and frequently excellent, though viewers who prefer rougher sex or think that plot gets in the way won't have much patience for them. But while porn is often funny, it's a nice change when it succeeds in being funny on purpose. I laughed out loud at the intentional humor in the script -- not at the sex. Highly recommended, especially if gonzo fare isn't your cup of tea. It's good to see this versatility in Snow as a performer. GoingDownWithLove
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