Canada | 2012 | Directed by Sean Garrity
Logline: In an effort to win back his ex-girlfriend, a conservative accountant inadvertently enlists the help of a stripper to help him gain sexual prowess, leading him to experience cross-dressing, S&M, and romantic truth.
A thoroughly disarming and slyly charming rom-com. Oh gosh, am I reviewing such a movie?! Yes, I am, and despite the movie’s less than witty title, this urban tale of male self-discovery at the hands of a lonely exotic dancer, and at the expense of a less-than-perfect relationship is definitely a case of the funny love story that could (I couldn’t bear to mention that hyphenated genre more than once!)
There’s nothing new under the sun with the plot, it’s a story we’ve all seen a dozen times (even when it’s not one of those kinds of movies), but it’s the way this story is told that is as fresh and juicy as the rock melon that serves as a guide to delivering cunnilingus like it should. Yes, it’s as funny and yet awkwardly sexy as it sounds. Sean Garrity has directed a comedy of errors that hinges on snappy dialogue and great performances, and this movie sports a great cast. Even the supporting roles are solid.
Jonas Chernick is Jordan, the dorky corporate who is a complete fizzer between the sheets. His long-term girlfriend, Rachel (Sarah Manninen), has the back of her camel broken when Jordan proposes to her after yet another night of unsexy perfunctory sex sans orgasm. She dumps him. He flaps about like a fish out of water and seeks a shoulder to cry on in the form of womanizer buddy Dandak (Vik Sahay) who is humouring an arranged engagement with coy Reshma (Melissa Marie Elias). At a strip club Jordan gets blind drunk and is kicked out into a pile of garbage. Cue: Julie (Emily Hampshire) ending her club shift and trying to help Jordan into a cab.
Jonas’s performance is very reminiscent of a couple of classic blunderers, David Schwimmer’s Ross from Friends and Steve Carell’s Andy from The 40-Year-Old Virgin. But the real star of the movie is Emily Hampshire, who shines as the spunky stripper who excels in the kitchen. Sarah Minninen also has great charisma, and there’s a hilarious mouthing off scene between Rachel and Jordan that is one of the movie’s many comic highlights.
(Special mention goes to Mike Bell as Julie’s neighbour, Naked Tom, who sports an enormous schlong. Was that a prosthetic, or not; I couldn’t help but wonder amusedly of the audition process if it was real).
My Awkward Sexual Adventure is the perfect date flick for those who wouldn’t be seen dead at a rom-com in the cinema. Embrace the candid antics of these hapless romantics and relish the dirty-minded playfulness. Light as a feather, sweet as a peach, and pussy-whipped like cream, it’s the best adult fun you’ll have all weekend!
My Awkward Sexual Adventure screens as part of Possible Worlds American & Canadian Film Festival, Friday 16 August, 6:30pm, Dendy Opera Quays.