Talk Dirty to Me

Universally acclaimed as the late great fornication filmmaker Sam Weston's crowning achievement, TALK DIRTY TO ME ranks in my personal top 5 for the director, forever vying for top spot – according to my mood at any given time – with the likes of SEX WORLD, NOTHING TO HIDE, EASY and THE DANCERS. Unusually taking a male buddy relationship, clearly patterned after John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men (sans tragic denouement), as its focal point, TALK inspired a ton of sequels as well as spin-offs. Producer Jerry Ross owned the rights to the title and therefore instigated the official series, the subsequent installment of which was crafted by the original's editor Tim McDonald. Weston delivered his own follow-up with the possibly even superior (in terms of story-telling if not sexually) NOTHING TO HIDE giving full weight to the character of the slightly retarded sidekick Lenny, indelibly portrayed by the terrific Richard Pacheco. Weston returned to the fold, as it were, rather late in the day when he re-teamed with Ross for the shot on video TALK DIRTY TO ME ONE MORE TIME…and its sequel !

The womanizing main character Jack, incredibly well-played by the inimitable John Leslie in an absolute career performance, remained the only constant throughout each successive film, his slow-witted friend discarded after a handful of episodes, at least until Leslie eased himself into early retirement - shifting from performing to directing, with great success - and the TV/radio sex therapist originated by Bridgette Monet in part 2 (later essayed by the likes of Tracey Adams, Ashlyn Gere and Kylie Ireland) became the new focus of attention. Chasing chicks for sports, it's obvious that Jack has the adoring Lenny's best interests at heart, rarely allowing any woman to come between them. This doesn't deter him from making a play for uptight lady doctor Cris Cassidy however after she has bandaged the twisted ankle Lenny got in an altercation with trashy trailer park waitress Holly McCall, a character that would not come fully into its own until NOTHING TO HIDE. If the doc's just for fun, then Jack's seduction of real estate agent Juliet Anderson proves more of a necessity as she has to be diverted from guiding around prospective buyer Carl Regal (the coach from Joanna Williams' classic LITTLE GIRLS BLUE) the exact property the guys have temporarily crashed as Jack's in hot pursuit of across the street neighbor Marlene. Sensitively brought to life by talented Jesie St. James, she's a lonely married lady whose priggish husband Aaron Stuart (the lord of the manor in Bill Milling's excellent DELICIOUS) can't bring himself to employ the explicit language she craves and the title implies. While Jack tentatively seduces her with a master's hand, his neglected Girl Friday Rose (a marvelous turn by the always welcome Sharon Kane) retaliates by popping Lenny's cherry in a tender encounter.

Intelligent screenplay with plausible dialog was the handiwork of the "Spinelli" father and son team, the elder hiding behind his "Dean Rogers" alter ego. The story may be centered around the male characters but this doesn't mean that the women are reduced to mere cyphers. Marlene proves considerably more than a textbook dissatisfied housewife as she finds her bedroom needs conflicting with genuine love for her husband. Initially resentful of Jack's absence, Rose still displays honest affection as she initiates lovemaking with the inexperienced Lenny. Even the doctor's reluctance to breach the doctor/patient relationship adds a layer of subtlety to what could have merely been a one scene character. Late genre critic Jim Holliday, in his groundbreaking 1986 book Only the Best, selected TALK as the best acted adult film by an ensemble cast, each performance contributing to the effectiveness of the entire movie. With a roster consisting of superstars and unsung cult favorites, it would stand to reason that the sex sizzles from start to finish, be it Jack's wham bam specials with the captivating Cassidy or the alluring Anderson (ever the delightfully dirty dynamo) or his passionate tryst with Jesie, a volatile combination Weston would repeat in both HOTLINE and VISTA VALLEY P.T.A.

Ace camera man and future filmmaker (THE MISTRESS, L'AMOUR, GIRLS ON FIRE, etc.) Jack Remy contributes his customary professional job, assuring the flick looks as good as anything mainstream could achieve at that time and at just a fraction of the budget. In retrospect, TALK may very well be emblematic of the Golden Age's high watermark, a beautifully crafted marriage of head, heart and hard-on. As the dirty movie house lost ground to home screenings on tape and disc, porn pretty much abandoned the notion of presenting itself as cinema and resorted to its secular status as pure and simple turn-on material rather than the more complete form of entertainment it had evolved towards at the time TALK was created. Sadly for adventurous adult movie lovers everywhere, a promising genre was all but nipped in the bud, ironically through technological advances, assuring that – yes – it was really all downhill from here

One of those movies from the mid-period of what they call "The Golden Age" of porn, which bears all the trademarks of it's time. Strong story, good acting, high production values and slick camerawork adorn this steamy Summer drama which forever engraved director Anthony Spinelli's name on the XXX wall of fame!

The plot follows the adventures of Jack (John Leslie) and Lenny (Richard Pacheco), two close friends who couldn't be more different if they tried. Jack is a first-class ladies man, a smooth, silver-tongued hustler who can, and often does, charm his way into the pants of any woman he meets. Lenny is the polar opposite - awkward, nerdy and mentally very slow, he has neither Jack's physical charisma nor his sharp, quick-talking wit, thus often ends up feeling dejected and worthless while Jack swans off with his flavour of the week girlfriends. One day, they see blonde stunner Marlene (Jessie St James) walking along the beach and Lenny bets Jack that he can't go from meeting her to sleeping with her in under three days. Jack, confident in his own abilities, takes that bet and begins plotting ways of achieving his nefarious ends.

There are innumerable subplots going on throughout all this, a couple of which are slightly implausible and occasionally lend the film an unwelcome episodic feel, but it's strung together admirably by John Leslie's tour-de-force, utterly engaging performance as Jack and the seriously hot, legendary sex scenes that feature some of the most gorgeous and talented women of late 70's porn. Juliet Anderson plays a flirty estate agent who gets it on with Leslie in easily one of the most passionate, exciting scenes of the era. Both partners are loaded with energy and put across believably enthusisatic performances. Of course, the famous scene is the one between Leslie and Jessie St James in which she breathlessly utters those classic lines in the title and, naturally, it stands up to all you've heard about it.

The plot is extremely well done for porn-there's not too much and not too little. Thought and effort has been put into the character development, yet the sex doesn't feel shortchanged. The dirty talk is lightly risqué, not degrading.

The casting is also flawless. John Leslie is perfect as an oversexed scoundrel. Richard Pacheco is perfect as his sweet but slow-witted friend. Jesie St. James is perfect as a young and somewhat frustrated wife.

And so on. No one seems out of place, and the lead performers in particular put a lot of practice and polish into their lines. At one point, John does a hilarious impression of Jimmy Stewart that cracks me up.