Gay Porn as well as Mainstream XXX has recently fallen into the Gonzo trap - audiences, filmmakers and so-called critics have all ganged up en masse to spell an end to traditional story-line features. With descriptions like "chemistry", "hot scene" and awards geared toward individual scenes rather than fully-realized works the consensus has become that only high-energy wall-to-wall sex matters.
The underlying reason for this sea change (recall the classic actual XXX movies made in the '70s and '80s, of which Kirdy Stevens' "Taboo" is an ongoing best- seller) is obvious: if you want great acting, watch a Meryl Streep movie. That's why the majority look down their noses at traditional story-oriented porn.
Putting the lie to this conventional wisdom are the occasional old-fashioned Adult movies still being made, though in drastically reduced numbers compared to even 5 years ago. Almost a decade old, the comedy "The Intern" remains funny and entertaining, shifting the balance away from mechanical sex to a reliance on story and characters.
It's an interesting case in point because filmmaker Tony DiMarco was obviously inspired by the success of the formula of the mainstream Meryl Streep hit "The Devil Wears Prada", but actually goes that film one better. Streep impressed with her impersonation of fashion magnate Anna Wintour, but here DiMarco has the real-life porn magnate Michael Lucas (who produced the film for his Lucas Ent. banner) playing an exaggerated version of himself, as porn prima donna and mean boss.
Title role goes to Ben Andrews, a Lucas discovery who is completely believable as a nerdy intern hired to work at a NYC porn company, giving us an inside (also exaggerated for humor) look behind the scenes. He's mistaken for a guy auditioning to become a porn actor in the film's opening, making for easy laughs.
It's a simple story based on a sit-com premise and much of the laughs and even panache go to supporting players, such as the ebullient Christian Cruz as Lucas's assistant plus an ultra-campy turn by crew member-turned actor Joe Shepard as the ditzy office receptionist.
Had entertainment, and particularly X-rated, not been stove-piped, this film would have been a natural crossover hit, as it plays like a real movie. But the hardcore boy/boy scenes, which after all are the ultimate driving force here for commercial reasons, are still unpalatable to the general porn public.
Unveiling of Andrews' package near the end of the film is predictable but extremely effective, as the young actor from Cleveland is packing an immense cock, erroneously touted as the "biggest in porn" when in fact many famous mainstream performers (such as "Mandingo") obviously put a lie to that marketing hook. He also convincingly transforms from nerd to matinée idol and is a key factor to the film's success. Oddly, Andrews' career failed to take off for whatever reason.
Lucas's willingness to lampoon his own image is laudable, as the usually stiff (pun intended) actor is perfect in this specialized assignment, while delivering his usual arousal value in sex scenes. A "bonus" segment on the DVD has him demonstrating a Golden Shower ability that provoked Rumsfeldian "shock and awe" reaction from me, as his vertical fountains of urine covering both a willing victim from the cast and himself (which they drunk down with gusto) is still, for me at least, a major turn-off. After two hours of self-deprecating humor, the real-life boss's massive ego returns here with a vengeance.
