This Girl's Life - Mein Leben als Pornostar

I like James Woods, and I thought his performance in this film as a father with Parkinson's was outstanding. The lead, Juliette Marquis, is fairly new, and also did a great job. I was really touched watching her stop her life at times to care for her father, ass-wiping and all.

Rosario Dawson made a couple of brief appearances talking about the porn life, and gave some brilliant comments.

This is not really a "porn" movie, but a drama shot in documentary style showing the life of someone in the internet porn business. Even leaving has consequences as Michael Rapaport suspiciously shows up just as she was walking out; and he was not a happy man. I wonder who tipped him off? It was a good story and worth the time.

The porn star Moon (Juliette Marquis) spends her time working, nursing her widowed father (James Woods) that has Parkinson disease and with her friends Jessie (Kam Heskin) and Martine (Rosario Dawson). Her boss Aronson (*Tomas Arana) gives a new contract to Moon to be signed. Moon has a blind date with Jessie's friend Kip (Kip Pardue) and they feel a great attraction for each other. When Jessie asks Moon to test the fidelity of her boy-friend, Moon decides to offer the service to other customers. But when she meets the dangerous Terry (Michael Rapaport), she reevaluates her life and her relationship with Skip.

"This Girl's Life" is an underrated movie that follows the pattern of Ken Russell's "Whore", with the lead actress talking to the camera like in a documentary. This is the first work that I have seen from the director Ash and the gorgeous actress Juliette Marquis and I liked what I have seen. The story begins with frontal male nude (I do not like to see penis wherever) but in a perfect timing and insertion in the context. James Woods proves again that he is one of the most underrated actor in Hollywood, with an amazing performance of a man with Parkinson disease. But the star of this movie is the unknown and extremely sexy and gorgeous Juliette Marquis that has a magnificent performance in the role of a porn star. Her body is astonishing, her eyes and face are impressively beautiful and she can act with a stunning performance! I am looking forward to have a chance to see her again. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Maiores de 18" ("Greater than 18" literally, meaning "Rated-18")

I rented this film initial because I heard that this film handled the adult film industry as it exists, stripping away the fantasy and negative exploitative stigma that many previous films portrayed. I also heard James Woods gave a great performance in this film not to mention the thought that I may get to see some very attractive eye candy. And in all accounts I was right. James Woods does a knock out job in this movie and yes you get to see some very attractive naked girls. Not to mention a male full Monty scene that really goes all the way. I know it sounds like a cheesy two bit soft core film, but the story moves fast and the portrayal of a porn star is shown with insight and strength. The film is really about finding yourself and personal growth. The film did a great job of acknowledging its subject and dealt with it as it is; a business. The lead actress was also very strong, which is unusual for a film like this. The nudity may be sexual in nature but isn't really meant to be erotic. The nudity is used to add to the story and is never used unless it has a purpose. Where many films have attempted this, this movie that no one has seen or heard of, did a great job with handling this subject. Well written and interesting, 4 Stars! If you really want to see a good film that deals with the adult industry as it exists, I highly recommend this film.

This Girl's Life is the story of a not so average porn star and her not so average life. She makes it known right off the bat that she has not been abused by her father, uncle or priest and she is not on drugs or any of the other things you hear about your average porn star. In fact, she seems to be a very well adjusted young woman who has about 99% of her priorities in line. This is the story of Moon, played by a positively ravishing Juliette Marquis.

Moon's mother died in a car accident when she was young and takes care of her father who has Parkinson's Disease and is willing to drop anything she is doing if he needs her. She even meets a guy that seems to suit her on a blind date while she struggles with wondering whether or not he was told what she does for a living and if that is in fact, the reason he is there. He turns out to be a decent guy and it seems Moon has everything going in the right direction for her. She just happens to be a porn star.

There are hardly any negative characters in this movie. For the most part, everyone gets along and is likable to the viewer. The character development could have been a bit better. I knew who everyone was but did not know most of the names. Maybe I should pay closer attention but I had to figure out most of the character names from this site. Moon shows no attitude of being a successful porn star and even her boss, Aronson (played by Tomas Arana) was a likable guy. Later in the movie, a friend of Moon's asks her to hit on her boyfriend to see if he would cheat on her if given the opportunity and you get a few unlikeable characters once this happens (good job by Michael Rapaport). This is also where the movie takes a bit of a darker turn, but nothing huge.

Juliette Marquis is a very good actress who has the looks and talent to become the next big thing in Hollywood. I believe she just needs her "big break". I truly hope to see big things come of her.

James Woods was Pops, the Parkison's ridden father, who played that part to a tee. I compare his performance here to Edward Norton's in The Score. Woods proves he is an incredible actor.

All in all, I could give this movie pretty high recommendations. The ending was a bit anti-climatic and I was a little let down by it, but the rest of the movie makes up for it. This is the first movie I have seen by director, Ash, and I will make it a point to see more of his movies. 8/10

Ebert and Roeper gave this two thumbs up and were very impressed with the lead actress. On that basis I rented the video. This was an interesting film in that it portrayed a likable individual with some good (but often indirect) character development as the porn star. Although there were semi-graphic sexual scenes, they were not gratuitous and were integral to the development of the story.

I found myself generally interested in most of the primary characters. The film presented them with enough depth to make them intriguing. I have not seen any other films depicting the porn industry and its stars that I can think of, so I can't compare it to "the competition." I actually know a few people who have worked in this industry, and felt the characters depicted were consistent with the people I know.

The lead actress did give a credible performance. I was interested in how her life evolved on screen, in the decisions she made, etc. She was also quite attractive which helped maintain the interest.

At the end I found I was questioning myself as to whether I truly enjoyed the film or not. In some ways it exceeded my expectations, but I didn't feel it lived up to E & R's highly positive review.