Procurando Monica Velour

Let's say you're tired of slack-brained comedies dealing with mature subjects the prepubescent way. Let's say you've watched your fair share of raunchy comedies with heart and are now just looking for the "heart." And let's say you want a film that doesn't sacrifice performances for writing or vice-versa. You may want to listen up here.

Keith Bearden's Meet Monica Velour is a mature film about a mature subject, which is coming-of-age and entering reality after being confined to a fantasy that one has developed over a long period of time. It centers around Tobe (Dustin Ingram), a shy seventeen year old who has an undying fascination with classic movies, music, and pornography. He lives with his cantankerous grandfather (Brian Dennehy) and his best friend is only twelve years old. But the person he loves more than these two combined is Monica Velour, a sexy porn star who made a living doing seventies exploitation flicks. Tobe's deep fascination with the woman only increases because she has faded into complete obscurity, no longer acting and not leaving any traces behind.

When Tobe discovers the one and only Monica Velour will be appearing at a strip club, he makes the long commute to not only meet her, but also sell the only car he has - an bulky van with a gigantic hot dog attached to the roof. When he finally arrives at the strip club, the woman he sees isn't quite who everyone would label attractive. Monica (Kim Cattrall) is now an aging, deeply unhappy woman, juggling child-custody, a deadbeat boyfriend, her uncompromising and somewhat-regrettable legacy, and constant ridiculing for her life choices. Tobe is still undeniably starstruck when he meets the woman, and strikes up a friendship after he is assaulted at the bar by a group of thugs.

The biggest problem with Monica's relationship with Tobe is that Tobe lives in, what appears to be, another reality, one where Monica is still the incredible porn-goddess she once was and where problems can be fixed by ditching life's current situation in favor of what looks to be a long-term solution. Monica views Tobe's decision-making as reckless and lethal to her stability, but can't shake the thought that he is a young, starstruck soul with more of a voice than most of the other kids his age. It's that conflict and the enormous age difference that makes their relationship thrive.

Cattrall is a wise choice for Monica. She is the right amount of sexy for the role, but she is also the right amount of brains and intelligence as well, as she plays Monica with a sense of helplessness but also bravery. Here's a woman that has been broken numerous times, and here she stands, beaten, torn, and clearly roughed-up. But she's not giving up; she's too powerful for that.

Ingram plays Tobe effectively too, humanizing what could've been the most stereotypical, unlikable nerd. Rather than making him insufferably quirky and unrealistically inept like, say, his doppelganger Napoleon Dynamite, Bearden turns the character into a likable man with a real heart and wit to his strange, socially awkward nature. He's not all skin and quirks, and the movie actually gives him a firm leg to stand on.

Meet Monica Velour is, uniformly, a quiet film. The film moves quickly, but not too quickly as to where it is easy to forget. The ethics and choices of the characters demand contemplation (even if some - including the climax - seem to be a bit forced), the commentary it includes on the porn world outside of the STD-craze is noteworthy, and the cinematography and locational beauty of the entire project is, at the very least, nicely displayed throughout the course of the film. Throw in great performances from Cattrall - who may be giving her career-worthy performance here - and a nice introduction into film from Ingram and you have a winning film.

Starring: Dustin Ingram and Kim Cattrall. Directed by: Keith Bearden.

So here i am wandering through my local video store looking for something good to watch and i stumble across Meet Monica Velour, judging from the cover and the description on the back i was expecting the usual silly sex comedy, boy was i wrong.

Meet Monica Velour is exceptional, at times hilarious, at times awkward, at times heartbreaking. And it is all thanks to a fearless performance from Kim Cattrall, she is just down right amazing as this extremely damaged character. Never have i seen her better, she is as much this character as she is Samantha from SATC. The fact that she can immortalize a character such as Samantha and then do something completely different like this is the making of a truly great actress, and also a shamefully under-rated one.

The story is wonderful, the super nerd of a small town finally gets the chance to meet his favourite porn star only to realize that her life is very different than what he imagined it would be, cue a friendship like no other i've seen in film. After i realized that this movie was totally different than what i thought it was going to be i then had the though "oh this is going to be a sappy feel good story", wrong again, this is a totally original story that doesn't have a scrap of cliché at all.

I hope this movie finds a wide audience, its so deserving, Kim Cattrall needs to be in more great movies like this...... She's so great to watch.

See it, you'll love it....... ;)

"Why can't you like normal stuff like everybody else?" Toby is a nerd. He likes things no one else does like 1920's music, but his favorite thing of all is former adult film star Monica Velour (Cattrall). After his Grandfather (Dennehy) insults him one too many times Toby decides to leave, and meets Monica. This is the type of movie that when you watch you like it, but when its over and you look back on it you start to like it more and more. I snickered a few times watching, but when I remember the lines and context I laugh harder. This movie is a surprisingly sweet coming of age tale about a boy on his way up and a woman on her way down. I have a bad habit of, for lack of a better word, over-simplifying a review by comparing it to movies people have heard of. That said...this movie is a cross between "Napolean Dynamite" and "Boogie Nights". If Napolean met the Julianna Moore character from "Boogie Nights" you would have this movie. I will have to say the Kim Cattrall is the perfect choice for this movie and while not being the total opposite of Samantha she is more of a burnt out version of that character. I would love to see at least a Golden Globe nomination for her for this, but I doubt that will happen. Overall, a good movie that will grow on you. I give it a B

Would I watch again? - I think I might

*Also try - Elektra Luxx

I am not one for either reading reviews or writing them. I did however sign up with IMDb just now to recommend this movie and posit that Kim Cattrall should easily have taken home a best actor award of some sort for her work in it. For those who have seen the movie or those who will see it, there is a scene (and you will know which one I mean) toward the end that is absolutely breath-taking. I have not seen something that honest and powerful in a movie in a very very long time. I get a chill just thinking about it now. I think as we get older we forget about the tug we felt inside when we first fell in love. We might even block it on purpose because it is frightening and beautiful and very powerful all at the same time. When I watched this film I knew where that feeling was and that it doesn't ever really go away. In a cinematic sea of pop-romance films, this one digs down much deeper. Kim Cattrall makes you want to be her hero. Her performance is just that special.

Watched this because I'm a Kim Cattrall fan. She shows she is a versatile and talented actress who can do much more than just Samantha. She can play anything from sophisticated Manhattanite to even trailer trash former porn star. She even lets all the wrinkles show.

Her co-star Ingram is a bit too goofy looking to be watchable. Makes the movie a bit second rate. Could have chosen a more appealing nerd geek type.

Unfortunately the story is more painful than touching.

Overall watch it if you are Kim Cattrall fan, otherwise it isn't a must see.