Roadgirls

Jerry Ross is an unusual pornographer: writing and producing old-fashioned soap operas that emphasize story over sex, a formula I prefer but which is way, way out of step with what the industry and unfortunately fans reject. This movie is laughably misjudged, representing just another nail in the coffin for attempts to create Adult Entetainment that takes storytelling seriously.

Randy Spears stars as an incredibly self-centered baseball star, in retrospect representing the exact opposite of current Yankees star Aaron Judge's true role model personality. He cheats on his wife Kelly Royce with other women, in particular a sympathetic mistress played by superstar Victoria Paris. Movie's title refers to this implicit theme of groupies.

Ross's way-overwritten screenplay (a fault shared by most of his films including those in the hit "Talk Dirty to Me" series) is rather silly, but the main defect is that despite lots of talk, there's no baseball action. In fact, Spears never even puts on a uniform and never is shown on the road. Lack of action (beyond sex) is glaring.

Subplots don't work: Randy West is tossed in as Paris's ex-lover, his role poorly integrated into the story and his screen credit omitted; Peter North thrown in as a fan of Spears who gets some nookie by impersonating him; and Eric Price as Spears' corrupt agent -a completely nonsensical character.

The soap opera is uninteresting start to finish, and Spears is similarly unlikeable from the git-go. Folks who like camp, on the order of those famously movies "Mommie Dearest" and "Monsignor" (produced and directed back to back by Frank Yablans and Frank Perry), will want to see the final reel, where suddenly characters' thoughts are voiced-over to ludicrously tie up the story in a neat bow, totally unbelievable. Watching it I instantly pictured an SNL sketch - it's so clunky it doesn't need a parody: it IS a parody of itself.