Mope

As someone who has been a performer in the adult film industry for 11 years now, and someone who unknowingly had my toes dipped in the "mope" pool in my first couple of years in, I can attest to the fact that the makers of this film either A. Were involved with the adult industry themselves at some point, or B. Truly did their research, because everything from the terminology used, to the tone of these sets and the way people are treated and spoken to, to the progression of how things occur, were all nearly 100% accurate. Plus, about 50% of the cast was made up of actual XXX industry people and that added to the legitimacy of the vibe as well.

Perhaps it is because I have been in similar shoes and experienced some of these themes myself in reality, but I didn't really perceive the film as a comedy at all, and honestly comedy is generally a whack genre - this movie has more merit than that. It is very effective as a jarring, bleak re-telling of a tragic real life story, which should be considered this film's primary purpose anyhow - it's a solid drama and it's will make you feel like you need to take a shower afterwards, exactly as it should. This is a very dark, very real pocket of reality that most people have no idea exists - and this is the only film that's ever been made about it, so it deserves credit for doing it loyally.

It was my first impression of lead actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and he definitely steals the show, selling a very unique character that somehow manages to be incredibly complex and incredibly simple at the same time. At first he just seems naive and dumb, but as the film progresses you learn there is a lot more going on with him psychologically - this is one of the most impressive aspects of the film - it's very well written and VERY well acted, with great intensity. Familiar face Brian Huskey also puts in a very memorable, and relatively striking performance as their "boss", in a sense. The smaller role from David Arquette was a welcomed surprised and he ANNIHILATED his role too - Level 100 jerk, fully sold.

I do think one of the ways the film could have improved overall is by trimming off a bit of the fat in the edit, but otherwise the film flows very well. I think it's directed, shot, and edited very tastefully. I was impressed. The film also has some really great original music on the score by Jonathan Snipes of the group clipping, which I will be adding to my Spotify playlists.

Now, not everyone will be able to handle or appreciate this movie, considering the subject matter and the tone which is strictly in the realm of seediness and grime. There are only two scenes that are truly set to repulse those who don't have a head for perversion or a stomach for large amounts of bodily fluids, and one of them is the opening scene. But, know that most of the movie is nothing like the opening scene - however, it is the most appropriate and necessary way to open this film, 100%. All in all, a lot of people who don't realize how real this seedy underworld is are gonna think this is some try-hard trash film, but the truth is it's an important document eternalizing some niche history dealing with a bizarre and primarily unknown shadowy corner of contemporary U.S. culture.

A helpful warning for anyone finding this in the "Comedy" section of a streaming service like I did.

As a drama, this is movie has a lot of promise, and a strong directorial debut, but I'd definitely consider it a drama with comedic moments, and not a comedy. Overall this is about as comedic as Requiem for a Dream, with a similar descent into the personal hell of the characters that never turns around.

Without giving spoilers, I wanted to include that one of the sex scenes contains graphic non-consensual moments, with the woman visibly upset. I'm leaving this as a very generic description so people can know what they're getting into when watching this movie.

I love movies with dark material, and don't want to dissuade anyone from watching this, I just want to put a warning out there in the reviews for anyone coming into this expecting it to be a comedy, so people know what they're getting into.

I had low expectations for this film to be honest but as I watched, this had a good story and the acting were really good. The story moved clearly and all that needed emphasis had emphasis. It's such a shame that the ending had to be that way. I give it a 6.5/10

Now I was not aware of the term mope ... if you are it doesn't really mean one of us has issues. Whichever you may think that is. And anyone not aware will be getting quite the information about that term. These are people in the porn industry that most watching the content are not aware of. You can feel bad for them I reckon - the ones depicted here are a bit of an exaggaration of what Mopes are and what they do.

Having said that, the movie is not easy and takes turns that some may disagree with. And while this is not an adult film (nothing really explicit is shown), the situations overall are quite adult as you can imagine. Nothing for the squeamish then and nothing for those who may have issues (identifying) with our two male leads ... everyone else will be stunned, if not really entertained (which is a weird thing to say, I know)

An improbable boogie night cheap and grotesque version adapted from a real news item. Not too badly screwed up overall, despite a film with a strange premise, you can watch it.