verdie

I've been a writer and educator in the BDSM scene for thirty years, and I've traveled around the country to speak to kinksters (including more than a few visits to Columbus, where the movie is set). I didn't catch this film making a single misstep in terms of the scene as it actually exists in outwardly mainstream, heterosexual America - if you want to know what lies behind all the popular images of latex-clad dominatrixes in towering heels, this is your movie.

It was not flawless. Some bits were thrown in there for cheap laughs, and others to move the plot along (often a bit faster than is realistic). But both principals are completely believable and moving, as are their four kids, particularly the non-binary teen and the teen with drug issues.

I think the film may have audience problems, in that people who want to hear about blended families in the 21st century do not necessarily want to hear about BDSM, and vice versa. But if you have any interest in either topic, and you're reasonably open-minded about alternative sexualities and genders, this is well worth a couple of hours of your time.

It seemed like Con Man took a couple of episodes to find its tone, but once it did I began loving it. Yes, it makes fun of people attending cons, as a previous reviewer noted. It makes fun of people who work at cons. It makes fun of people who book cons. It makes fun of people who act in shows whose fans attend cons. In other words, everybody in this show is a little bit clueless and/or venal and/or crazy - and yet they're all likable and familiar. This isn't Great Art, but it's a hoot - and playing spot-the-SF-star is half the fun. (I had to look up "Dale," the elderly "lady stuntman," who turned out to be a Romulan commander from the original Star Trek. Like that.)