Just Can't Get Enough

This one purports to examine the facts surrounding the sex and criminal scandals during the course of the successful rise of the Chippendale's male strip club and touring shows. If it gets the facts right, it certainly doesn't offer much more than that. It's way too conventional for a low-budget independent film and should have been more unbridled in it's depiction of the sleaze and corruption at the center of the operation (or "Sodom and Gomorrah" as one reviewer aptly puts it). Everything that was seductively addictive about the lifestyle depicted is presented with the clinical precision of a Lifetime movie of the week, complete with soap-operatic personal issues and misfiring attempts at humor. Sadly, it's not the lurid melodrama it wants to be or a startling new presentation of nostalgic debauchery. An antiseptic scandal sheet.

This sweaty, fun, rocking true-life story of the murder of the Chippendale Dancers founder gives us all the fleshy pizzaz that we never got in Mighty Mike (MM). Released straight to video in 2001, this dynamic indie production never got the exposure (pun intended) nor acclaim it deserved. This B-movie is brilliantly photographed, choreographed, edited with a cast of the most juicy males to ever strip before the cameras--and the major standout whose jaw-dropping sexiness will leave you breathless is the long-forgotten Jonathan Aube. I had never heard the name of this extraordinary Adonis. He has a sweet innocence and little boy charm that enhances the sizzle-quotient of his spectacular torso. Curiously, Aube never once drops his britches. We do see his magnificent chest but although his prancing cohorts live in their G-strings, Aube denies us the thrills of seeing him unclothed. Perhaps there was a stipulation in his contract that he would only go nude from the waist up. Still, what you see bared is memorable. I wonder if the producers of Magic Mike didn't borrow from this forgotten entertainment? In this movie, our adorable Chad becomes obsessively in love with the most colorless, sexless, dreary woman in the world. Naturally, she is horrified that he is a--stripper! At the end, just when the hunky Chad has agreed to strip as a replacement at his club (pant, pant!), his girlfriend appears again and says how proud she is that he's not one of those naked boys. Our hero is so shattered by her observation that he rushes to the toilet to barf. Then he dramatically puts his clothes on and announces that he is no longer a bad boy. He will now be a respectable businessman because he has an MBA! I wish that one day some bright, free-spirited film maker would remake this dazzling little gem, discard all the dialogue, throw in as much gratuitous nudity as possible and somehow induce our glorious Jonathan Aube to do a cameo as a mature, hunky strip boy--and watch the millions roll in! I'll be sitting there on the front row!

The incredible story, great music, and tight pacing almost makes you forget the few uneven performances and limited production value. This is a gem in the rough. One of those brilliant little movies you hope to discover whenever you stumble upon a "I've never heard of this one" title on tv or in the video store.

I rented this DVD because a guy I knew from college is in it. It's entertaining, but can be best described as somewhat campy.

Apparently, the film is based on true events surrounding the Chippendale's scandal of the 1980's, which includes murder for hire, lots of corporate backstabbing, even a suicide, but it's all portrayed in a very comical way. Most of the acting is laughable; my assumption is the director told the whole cast to be as exaggerated and over-dramatic as possible. The script is ridiculous; just very poorly written (so to be fair to the actors, they didn't have much to work with). The soundtrack is terrific and it has some really colorful moments. There's lots of sex and hard-bodied men gyrating around, so if you're into that, you'll have a ball.

I hope "Just Can't Get Enough" wasn't trying to be a drama because it wound up as a vivid yet clumsy comedy.

I listened to the commentary and was surprised to learn that most of this story is taken from court records and FBI transcripts. Dialogue and all. This is a fairly entertaining drama about the owner and creator of Chippendales empire and the lengths he went to protect himself from what he felt were threats to his empire. If anything, you'll be amused by the stupidity of some of these based on real life character's actions. If you like your men cheesy and buff, your humor dark, and your music 80s, you'll like this film.