Striptease

I read the book first and I can only say that I feel sorry for its author, Carl Hiassen. The book was an extremely funny satire of capitalism, politics, gender roles, etc. and the film was just an excuse for the lead actor to show off her surgically enhanced body. I mentioned the book in a university tutorial for my course on literary satire, and no one would believe me that it was not trash because they could not separate it from the movie which followed it. Too bad - the book is good enough to have warranted a script that stays true to the original story rather than exchange wit and sophistication for extended dance sequences and the lubricatory possibilities of yogurt.

for those of you who don't know (and I'm sure there's a lot of you) Strip Tease was actually a book written by Carl Hiaasen, and a damn good book at that. Brilliant characters, an intriguing storyline, hilarious incidents, sex, violence, the works...

I gave the movie a 5 because Robert Patrick and Burt Reynolds were absolutely hysterical and on-point (I'm sure THEY actually READ the book), but aside from those two gems this movie was a disgrace.

What happened to the plot?!? What happened to like half the story?!? What happened to my self respect?!? Why change the ending?!? The story was enthralling and thoroughly enjoyable when I read the book, the movie (breasts considered) not so much..

There's a gratuitous 3 minute topless dancing scene, followed by 3 minutes of Demi and the little girl crying and being superdramatic. CHOOSE which audience you're marketing this movie towards! Women won't respect a nonsense T&A fest and men don't want to see a bunch of sappy overdramatics when the movie was advertised like a softcore porno flick.

The fact that a BOOK about strippers was exponentially better than the movie.. that's saying something.

• Anonymous Disgrunted Hiaasen Fan

It may not have mirrored the book, but it has its own charm. I haven't read the book, so maybe that's why I can judge the movie on its own merits.

Ving Rhames is terrific-- honestly, has he ever had a clunker of a performance? Demi is luscious (the dance scenes, and the cute scene where she's getting dressed/dancing after a shower), and Burt Reynolds is hilarious. I really loved the congressman character meeting the right wing group slathered in vaseline. "Fresh, hot, lint!" indeed! Give it a whirl... it ain't Citizen Kane, but it ain't Battlefield Earth either.

Some people take both life and cinema far too seriously . Look at STRIPTEASE for example . The opening scene takes place in a court where Erin Grant is fighting for custody of her child against her husband Darell who has a serious problem with drugs . The judge decides that because Erin is unemployed pill popping Darell should get the kid ! Erin realises that the only way to get the kid back is if she gets a job as a stripper at The Eager Beaver nightclub and on her first night there she blows away the opposition . Got that a woman who has never stripped before is miles better than than the old pros who have been doing their dance routine for years . In fact she's so good Congressman Dilbeck feels duty bound to save her from a punter by hitting a drunken punter over the head with a champagne bottle . Hmm so you've got a senior politician who frequents The Eager Beaver nightclub which obviously doesn't harm his career prospects and assaults a fellow patron andnobody calls the press !

That's just the start of the movie ( And it gets more and more incredible as it goes along as if you hadn't noticed ) but people come on to this site to say what a terrible movie it is ! Thanks for pointing this out but it's not actually supposed to be a great movie is it ? It's done tongue in cheek with Burt Reynolds giving a career worst performance as Congressman Dilbeck . This alone would have made it watchable enough without Demi Moore flashing her silicon enhanced breasts around at every opportunity . If you think this is a serious movie then perhaps Ving Rhames role as Shad is a knowingly ironic character: " No it's a f--kin' shrimp . Course it's a roach " which is a clever way of explaining to the less clued up audience members that it's not a shrimp , a roach or a turkey - It's a tongue in cheek movie

The novel "Striptease" was everything you could ask for in a novel. The movie is the complete opposite and a major disappointment for me. I thought Demi was a decent choice and also applauded the casting of Robert Patrick as her good-for-nothing ex, and Ving Rhames as a bodyguard at the club.

However the entire thing ended up being a mess, and I can only hope I can erase the image of Burt Reynolds in his boxers, smothered with petroleum jelly from head to toe, from my mind.

Read the book!!