Confessions of a Young American Housewife

Its a good softcore movie of 70s .I think this one is the hot one. It is a movie about swinger couple living together, and happy. That's only in happens in movies, not in reality. Now whoever couple goes for swinging lifestyle they always end up bad.

Confessions of a Young American Housewife (1974)

*** (out of 4)

Joseph Sarno's cult-classic involves a swinging daughter (Rebecca Brooke) whose life turns upside down when her laid-back mother (Jennifer Welles) comes for a visit and soon the other swingers are wanting to get her in on the action. When mother does join, the daughter has to come to grasp with her own sexuality. I will admit that there's not too much of a plot here and what is here is pretty one-note and predictable but there's no question that it's the best film I've seen from the director. While there are some flaws, there's no question that this film offers quite a bit and is well worth watching by fans of the genre. The big thing are actually the performances, which is something you rarely say with a film like this. Both Brooke and Welles are downright wonderful in their roles. For one, they both come across as a real mother and daughter. Secondly, both women are just so believable in their parts and this helps keep the film so entertaining. This isn't your typical softcore film, instead it really does try to show some real emotion with these two characters and the actresses are so good that you can guy in even with the lack of a good story. Even the supporting actors are good in their roles. Another major plus with this film is that it contains some extremely erotic sex scenes. Again, none of them cross the line into hardcore but what it leaves to the imagination is quite good. The sex scenes are extremely well-directed and it's clear that everyone involved wanted them to be steamy and erotic. The cinematography was also extremely good for this type of picture. CONFESSIONS OF A YOUNG American HOUSEWIFE isn't going to be for everyone, that's for certain, but fans of the genre are going to be treated with a real gem.

Rebecca Brooke, playing Carole, the young American housewife, doesn't confess much in this move, but has sex with everybody. It's a wonderful compliment to Rousseau, who confesses everything and never has sex. OK, she does confess to her Mom that she is "a very hot, horny girl and has been ever since high school." She doesn't do a lot of housewife stuff, either. OK, she folds a towel once. A towel. Once. It's her mother, Jennifer, played by the bustiful Jennifer Welles, who is the housewife of your dreams. Great in the kitchen, great in the sack. Even though she's about the same age as Brooke, Welles has a mature look that makes her believable as Brooke's mother. Move over, Stifler's Mom, Welles is the original MILF.

Carole and her husband Eddie (David Hausman) live next door to Anna (Chris Jordan) and her husband Pete (Eric Edwards). The foursome are a "foursome." After Mom-Jennifer comes for a visit and stares at herself in the mirror (naked, of course) for a good long while, the four kids strip down in the living room like they were in the gym getting ready for a workout. It's actually their nightly romp, which becomes a group grope with Carole in the middle while she is unloading something about her Momma's breasts that must be a complex with the name of a Greek play attached to it. Best to watch this scene with the sound turned off.

The next day, Pete puts a move on Mom, which Mom thinks is really cool, but that would make the kitchen way too hot, so Mom starts packing. Carole talks her into staying, and the next day the delivery boy (uncredited) from the supermarket shows up. Boing! Mom now has reason to live! And have sex. In the middle of the next night's orgy, (don't these people ever go bowling or something?), Pete slips upstairs and slips into Mom. The next time Delivery Boy comes with the groceries, Mom sets the hook with pie, coffee, and a sweater to keep him warm. Note that Mom, who heretofore has had her hair pinned up in a matronly wad, now has it flowing seductively below her shoulders. You learn to notice those things in film studies class.

Here comes the money scene, where the three ladies go to see Shandara, a mystic of some kind who teaches enlightenment through lesbian sex. They have the night off because the boys are going bowling (so what do I know?). So in see-through nighties, which don't stay on very long, Shandara leads Mom and daughter and friend through ritual kissing, breast-fondling, and a bunch of other stuff that you can fill in on your own. It comes to a close when Mom, in a moment of unfocused lust, almost launches herself at her daughter, but at the last second she stops. Darn. I could go on, but I'll leave you to see for yourself what other trysts director Joe Sarno came up with. Hint: Mom gets it from every direction.

Reviewing this review, I seem to have left out the plot and mentioned only the sex scenes. But then, that's all there is to mention. The movie starts off slowly and hits the finish line at 100 miles per hour. I think Sarno was going to make a movie with a message but halfway through said, "Aw heck, maybe next time," and just set up the actors for one grind after another. As always, the movie is well lit, and well photographed. Sarno is a filmmaker, after all. Recommended.

Ah, the 1970's. A time when it was in to be a swinger. To be honest, today is also a good time to be a swinger but it just felt more daring then.

Joe Sarno offers up a pretty good soft-core film. In fact, just like today, some of the actors are famous hardcore actors. Unlike today, these people were good actors and these films had a plot and character development.

It's pretty much what you would expect out of a swinger's movie. Two couples with open relationships re-ignite the wanderlust out of the MILF of one of the women who has come for a visit. Not much more to it.

Of course, when the MILF is Jennifer Welles then it is a different story. Not too many 40-somethings look as delicious undressed as Ms. Welles. It's worth the price alone to see Ms. Welles look at herself in the mirror as if she's Aphrodite. She's no "Stifler's Mom". She's way sexier.

I also digged Chris Jordan's Anna. Jordan looks and sounds so much like Elaine Joyce that I thought she might be her "separated at birth" twin or even Elaine herself. Anna is always eating but must have incredible metabolism.

Unlike 1990's soft-core porn, 70's softie porn retained the hardcore film's realism (something that 2000's soft-core has brought back on occasion, instead of the 90's music and canned orgasms) and it is here in full force. It's not real but it feels real.

For those who enjoyed the Quebec produced "Deux Femmes En Or", you'll enjoy this one. Another classic film only on Drive-In Classics, the best $2.50 CAN a month you can spend.

Joe Sarno was a special and talented filmmaker, and his erotic films were always a cut above the general run of such fare in the 60s and 70s. "Confessions of a Young American Housewife" is the story of a young wife, her husband, and her swinger friends. When the young woman's mother comes to visit, her introduction to their sexual ways becomes the movies main focus. Sarno manages to elicit a rough dignity from his actors, and the characters are more than pieces of meat. The final scene is surprisingly touching: early in the film I disliked the characters for their lifestyle, and by the end I had come to see they were not the emotionally shallow people I had taken them to be. If you are one of those dismal unfortunates who watch HBO and Showtime garbage like True Blood and Tell Me You Love Me to spice up your flaccid middle-aged sex lives, then you will be unable to appreciate this film. For the rest of you with taste, check it out.