L'amour au hasard

Though I would not think of watching this film at the theater, it's not all that bad critics made it out to be. Some situations are fairly funny, the story takes wild turns and more importantly, it is Andrew Clay's best performance. Behind the x-rated nursery rhymes and sexist jokes he can act if given the right role (like most actors!). He is the only true "Good" thing about this movie and steals every scene. Remember this: years from now when another Tarantino-esque young director has his way, Andrew Dice Clay will be given a juicy role and make a a-la-Travolta comeback.

This Woody Allen-esque exploration of sex through the eyes of two female friends (Lea Thompson and Victoria Jackson) is a pretty entertaining little sleeper. The two discuss their sexual experiences, past relationships and societal attitudes, each taking turns talking to the audience. Eventually they travel to a spa where they encounter lust, rejection, love and, of course, sex, sex and more sex. Andrew Dice Clay actually turns in a great comic performance as an obnoxious spa patron who has the hots for Thompson, and Mary Gross adds a few laughs with her usual soft-spoken schtick. Jackson is cute, though a tad wooden, but Thompson's performance is right on the mark. As an added bonus, the two venture to a nude beach in one scene, so we get a nice long look at their bare bottoms (Jackson's cute buns make two extra appearances as well). Overall, there's really not much here, but what there is is pretty entertaining, and worth the price of a rental.

Near the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, Stacy (Lea Thompson) and Melissa (Victoria Jackson) plan a vacation at a health spa to find a "safe" guy to date and/or marry. Stacy has, as they say, "been around"; Melissa is more of a novice in the world of men. Right away, they run into obnoxious Vinny, who displeases them both and makes them doubt if they are going about things the right way. Things improve. In between classes of exercise, Stacy hooks up with Nick, a spa employee who sings at the social gatherings. Melissa, too, earns the attention of good guy Jamie, a massage therapist. Will there be any obstacles on the path to true love? Of course!

This is a genuinely funny movie about sex, told from a woman's viewpoint. There are some great speeches about the mysterious ways of men and women, offered by Stacy and Melissa. Scenes at the spa are both entertaining and lovely to look upon. Then, too, Andrew Dice Clay, as Vinny, gives a performance that sizzles and surprises with its ever-growing sincerity. Viewers who think they've seen every decent romantic comedy will have missed something special if they pass this one by. Hopefully, video stores and libraries will still have a copy of this nice film in stock.

This is a much better movie than I expected and is very well done with some witty dialogue and good performances by all.

Thompson and Jackson play two young women from with different sexual experiences who go off on vacation to find love.

Andrew Dice Clay is surprising good as the guy who turns to be the love of Lea's life without either of them expecting it.

Not "hokey" at all and the sexual inuendo is far more adult and funnier than you usually saw in the "teen or young couple" flims of this era.

Movies like this never win awards, never top lists, are never hot topics around the water cooler (do people ever have powwows around water coolers in real life?). This is the kind of movie critics like to cite as evidence of the decline of Western Civilization, because they make easy targets: they don't change lives, and they have few defenders. But, leaving aside Western Civilization for a moment, I want to say a word for the underdog. I watched the tape today, and was struck again by my happy mood after watching it. The story is featherweight, the acting likable if sitcom-ish, and the ending is as sweet as you could ask. Andrew Dice Clay's performance is indeed surprisingly good, and the occasional forays into real dialogue about "the mating game" touch on real issues. "Casual Sex?" won't change your life, but it's a pleasant way to spend a few hours. If you care what the snobs think, just don't tell them.