Okay, so back in the early 90s, Drew Barrymore was in an erotic thriller called Poison Ivy. She, and some nameless body double for the nude scenes, played a troubled young woman who deviously inserts herself into a family and wrecks havoc in their lives. A few years later they did Poison Ivy II, which is one of those Fraudulent Sequels where an original script is altered just enough to be barely connected to the first film. Poison Ivy II starred Alyssa Milano and, I believe, no body double for the nude scenes. Just a year after that they came out with Poison Ivy: The New Seduction, which is one of those Fraudulent Sequels where they simply remake the first film and slap different names on all the characters. This one starred Jaime Pressly as the sister of Barrymore's character and she also deviously inserts herself into a family and wrecks havoc in their lives. Not only did Pressly have no body double for the nude scenes but her nubile form is the best thing this flick has going for it. So, this franchise went from movie child star to TV child star to young actress nobody had ever heard of, a great example of Hollywood devolution.
Let's be clear about something. By the time they got down to this movie, no one had any illusions about what they were making except, perhaps, the young Miss Pressly. This is a trashy melodrama without even a spark of true creativity or dramatic ambition. Having said that...it's not terrible. Yes, a couple of Benedictine monks who've taken vows of silence could have written snappier dialog. Yes, none of the characters have any existence beyond what the plot requires, with one actually existing only as a disembodied voice on the phone. Yes, it's directed with all the flair of an episode of Matt Houston. And yes, it has an ending that basically screams "We've run out of money! What's the cheapest possible way we can kill of the villain?"
For all that, the young Miss Pressley looks damn good without any clothes on and even shows the makings of a fine actress, though one that still needed further training. When the story call on her to act crazy, Pressley clearly had no idea what she was doing. There's also enough activity going on to keep the film from grinding to a halt and it only minimally insults the viewer's intelligence. Michael Des Barres gives the yeoman's performance you'd expect and Megan Edwards is awfully appealing, though even more awfully is never nude.
As crap movies go, Poison Ivy: The New Seduction isn't that bad. I wouldn't suggest anyone spend money to rent it but if you can find it playing unedited on TV, there are worse ways to waste 95 minutes.
Let's be clear about something. By the time they got down to this movie, no one had any illusions about what they were making except, perhaps, the young Miss Pressly. This is a trashy melodrama without even a spark of true creativity or dramatic ambition. Having said that...it's not terrible. Yes, a couple of Benedictine monks who've taken vows of silence could have written snappier dialog. Yes, none of the characters have any existence beyond what the plot requires, with one actually existing only as a disembodied voice on the phone. Yes, it's directed with all the flair of an episode of Matt Houston. And yes, it has an ending that basically screams "We've run out of money! What's the cheapest possible way we can kill of the villain?"
For all that, the young Miss Pressley looks damn good without any clothes on and even shows the makings of a fine actress, though one that still needed further training. When the story call on her to act crazy, Pressley clearly had no idea what she was doing. There's also enough activity going on to keep the film from grinding to a halt and it only minimally insults the viewer's intelligence. Michael Des Barres gives the yeoman's performance you'd expect and Megan Edwards is awfully appealing, though even more awfully is never nude.
As crap movies go, Poison Ivy: The New Seduction isn't that bad. I wouldn't suggest anyone spend money to rent it but if you can find it playing unedited on TV, there are worse ways to waste 95 minutes.