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- ConnectionsFeatured in Mercedez: Beyond Description (2005)
Featured review
Natalie Woods is terrific under PT's direction
Marketed and known as a standard Mercedez vehicle from Vivid, "Sweetie Baby" turns out to be a very pleasant surprise. It's Natalie Woods aka Julia Taylor (NOT the Euro star JT) who is the star of the drama, and Paul Thomas proves once again he's a humanist filmmaker, who unlike today's hacks cares about his characters, putting real flesh on their bones.
Critics seem to think it's all about flesh, and nothing else, but that is far from the truth. Natalie in the title role plays a forlorn cocktail waitress at a strip club, where Mercedez is the star dancer. Ms. M and other showgirls make fun of her in bullying fashion, all too true to life, largely because unlike them she won't put out for the customers in private, like a street hooker.
As Holly, Natalie is saddled with a layabout of a live-in boyfriend, very well limned by Marty Romano in a disturbing performance (which adds to our sympathy for Holly no end). As Max, Romano is a frustrated movie soundtrack composer who doesn't try to get work, merely scrounging off Holly and abusing her in a typical dom/sub relationship. Running gag is his well-researched name dropping of heroes of his in the field, including Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Alfred Newman and Alex North -something for film buffs in the audience.
While much of the non-XXX footage is devoted to atmospheric shots of the strippers pole dancing or lap dancing at the club, including not just Mercedez but Brooke Banner, the story turns on Holly meeting a friendly customer played by Trevor Zen, an underrated (including initially by me) porn performer who has vastly surmounted his original status as merely Lezley Zen's boyfriend (he took her stage name for himself when she introduced him to the business) to become an engaging leading man.
The slow but sure development of their relationship leads to a surprise twist that Thomas handles very well, turning the film from romance to dark thriller on a dime much in salute to Hitchcock (as the much earlier emphasis on Bernard Herrmann subtly telegraphed). Ciimax and open-ended finale are the work of an artist, not afraid to take chances with his material.
Natalie is something of a plain Jane, giving her performance depth that is unusual in Adult - I thought of my first acquaintance with Georgina Spelvin when "Devil in Miss Jones" was released for a similar revelation of talent in a brown paper wrapper. By contrast, Mercedez's limited acting talents are wisely confined to the bare minimum here, just being a Mean Girl to Natalie, and humping and showing off her unbeatable body to please the fans who undoubtedly watched this Vivid release in order to see her.
Very effective sex filler is provided by Natalie's bombastic neighbor Angelica Sin, perfect as a dominatrix mistreating her slave Dirty Harry as voyeuse Natalie watches from her window.
Only drawback here is revealed in the BTS short subject. Natalie displays real prowess playing classical music on her piano between takes, but in her big scene playing piano on screen PT has eliminated the sound, robbing the viewer of this shtick. I'm not sure what went into this decision but it's a waste.
Critics seem to think it's all about flesh, and nothing else, but that is far from the truth. Natalie in the title role plays a forlorn cocktail waitress at a strip club, where Mercedez is the star dancer. Ms. M and other showgirls make fun of her in bullying fashion, all too true to life, largely because unlike them she won't put out for the customers in private, like a street hooker.
As Holly, Natalie is saddled with a layabout of a live-in boyfriend, very well limned by Marty Romano in a disturbing performance (which adds to our sympathy for Holly no end). As Max, Romano is a frustrated movie soundtrack composer who doesn't try to get work, merely scrounging off Holly and abusing her in a typical dom/sub relationship. Running gag is his well-researched name dropping of heroes of his in the field, including Bernard Herrmann, Elmer Bernstein, Alfred Newman and Alex North -something for film buffs in the audience.
While much of the non-XXX footage is devoted to atmospheric shots of the strippers pole dancing or lap dancing at the club, including not just Mercedez but Brooke Banner, the story turns on Holly meeting a friendly customer played by Trevor Zen, an underrated (including initially by me) porn performer who has vastly surmounted his original status as merely Lezley Zen's boyfriend (he took her stage name for himself when she introduced him to the business) to become an engaging leading man.
The slow but sure development of their relationship leads to a surprise twist that Thomas handles very well, turning the film from romance to dark thriller on a dime much in salute to Hitchcock (as the much earlier emphasis on Bernard Herrmann subtly telegraphed). Ciimax and open-ended finale are the work of an artist, not afraid to take chances with his material.
Natalie is something of a plain Jane, giving her performance depth that is unusual in Adult - I thought of my first acquaintance with Georgina Spelvin when "Devil in Miss Jones" was released for a similar revelation of talent in a brown paper wrapper. By contrast, Mercedez's limited acting talents are wisely confined to the bare minimum here, just being a Mean Girl to Natalie, and humping and showing off her unbeatable body to please the fans who undoubtedly watched this Vivid release in order to see her.
Very effective sex filler is provided by Natalie's bombastic neighbor Angelica Sin, perfect as a dominatrix mistreating her slave Dirty Harry as voyeuse Natalie watches from her window.
Only drawback here is revealed in the BTS short subject. Natalie displays real prowess playing classical music on her piano between takes, but in her big scene playing piano on screen PT has eliminated the sound, robbing the viewer of this shtick. I'm not sure what went into this decision but it's a waste.
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- lor_
- Aug 26, 2016
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- Also known as
- Niña dulce
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
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