So, a stripper meets a guy at her job after following the advice from another stripper about picking out men to fleece. The things is, she is a novice and she falls for the guy instead of following her fellow stripper's advice. And we travel into the descent of madness for some strange reason because it doesn't make any logical sense to do so because films seems to speed up a relationship when all logic fails. Why do they do this all the time, a guy meets a girl a girl meets a guy and 3 minutes later they fall in love. Not real and this isn't real. I read another reviewers comments and it seems as if that person may have had a connection with the film because what they wrote had nothing to do with the film and what I experienced. In fact, based on those comments, I watched the film and as I watched it, I was very close to abandoning it because it was treading down well worn paths. I was hoping for better but in the end, it was no surprise with the ending as the attempt to misdirect throughout the film was an absolute failure as was the premise.
19 Reviews
Venus descending...
paul_haakonsen2 May 2017
I didn't really know much about "Goddess of Love" prior to sitting down to watch it, after I had happened to come across it by sheer blind luck. I read the synopsis, and thought it sounded like it had potential to be a great movie, perhaps sort of a mixture of a revenge movie and thrown in with some of the psychotic madness as seen in movies such as "May".
After having seen "Goddess of Love", I will say that writers Alexis Kendra and Jon Knautz certainly had some interesting ideas and Jon Knautz also managed to bring many of these elegantly to life on the screen. However, the movie just lacked a more intense pace. The storyline was good, but it just suffered under a very slow paced progress.
And speaking of the storyline, then there were some really interesting aspects to the storyline in terms of Venus's slow decent as her mind and psyche slowly starts to crumble and come apart. But there is more, there were also some really nice twists to the storyline along the way; twists that you don't really see coming. And on that account, the writers really did a phenomenal job.
"Goddess of Love" has some very good acting performances, and the movie is really carried a great long way by the talented cast they had hired for the various roles in this movie. Most impressive was Alexis Kendra in the lead role as Venus. She really carried the movie well, and she put on a very memorable performance.
This movie really had potential to be a very unique and outstanding movie, but it was just brutally butchered by a way too slow paced storytelling. It was a shame, truly, because I did enjoy the storyline and the acting, but it was the lack of proper pace to the storyline that just killed it off for me. As such, the movie settles on a mediocre 5 out of 10 stars rating from me.
After having seen "Goddess of Love", I will say that writers Alexis Kendra and Jon Knautz certainly had some interesting ideas and Jon Knautz also managed to bring many of these elegantly to life on the screen. However, the movie just lacked a more intense pace. The storyline was good, but it just suffered under a very slow paced progress.
And speaking of the storyline, then there were some really interesting aspects to the storyline in terms of Venus's slow decent as her mind and psyche slowly starts to crumble and come apart. But there is more, there were also some really nice twists to the storyline along the way; twists that you don't really see coming. And on that account, the writers really did a phenomenal job.
"Goddess of Love" has some very good acting performances, and the movie is really carried a great long way by the talented cast they had hired for the various roles in this movie. Most impressive was Alexis Kendra in the lead role as Venus. She really carried the movie well, and she put on a very memorable performance.
This movie really had potential to be a very unique and outstanding movie, but it was just brutally butchered by a way too slow paced storytelling. It was a shame, truly, because I did enjoy the storyline and the acting, but it was the lack of proper pace to the storyline that just killed it off for me. As such, the movie settles on a mediocre 5 out of 10 stars rating from me.
Well crafted, fails to give us a proper reason to care.
daniel-mannouch4 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Goddess of Love is about A mentally unstable woman begins a volatile descent into madness when she suspects her lover has left her for another woman.
Co-written by it's star Alexis Kendra, Goddess of Love is a showcase of her skills as well as that of cinematographer/director Jon Knautz. It's a psychosexual thriller that is a fair bit pretentious with scenes that play out more like acting workshops and shots that linger a little too long for the sake of just being purty. Unfortunately, it's a pretentiousness that is kind of earned as overall this is a finely acted, very well shot film.
What my issue is with the film is that it does nothing new with the urban paranoia thriller. This has Polanski's neurotic stench ridden all over it and that was off putting for me. Personally i preferred this film when the lead was Zoe Lund and the catharsis at hand was an automatic pistol and not just a crack pipe.
As it is, Goddess of Love as an experience is much like it's protagonist in that it's hard to get along with, but you feel inclined to anyway by the end. It's far better than the majority of horror thrillers of equal size, but it doesn't do enough to connect with a modern audience. In 1965, this would have been a triumph. In 2015, it's black comedy was way dated and the tropes were too overexposed and finally, it said nothing about the world it was made in at the time, even to the point of reducing the ever increasing American homeless to a lazy framing device, all in the service of telling the tired tale of a white metropolitan girl's battle with chronic (insert screenwriter's favourite personal problem here).
Any who, it's still well made and well acted and you can't take that away from Goddess of Love. That's got to count for something i guess.
Co-written by it's star Alexis Kendra, Goddess of Love is a showcase of her skills as well as that of cinematographer/director Jon Knautz. It's a psychosexual thriller that is a fair bit pretentious with scenes that play out more like acting workshops and shots that linger a little too long for the sake of just being purty. Unfortunately, it's a pretentiousness that is kind of earned as overall this is a finely acted, very well shot film.
What my issue is with the film is that it does nothing new with the urban paranoia thriller. This has Polanski's neurotic stench ridden all over it and that was off putting for me. Personally i preferred this film when the lead was Zoe Lund and the catharsis at hand was an automatic pistol and not just a crack pipe.
As it is, Goddess of Love as an experience is much like it's protagonist in that it's hard to get along with, but you feel inclined to anyway by the end. It's far better than the majority of horror thrillers of equal size, but it doesn't do enough to connect with a modern audience. In 1965, this would have been a triumph. In 2015, it's black comedy was way dated and the tropes were too overexposed and finally, it said nothing about the world it was made in at the time, even to the point of reducing the ever increasing American homeless to a lazy framing device, all in the service of telling the tired tale of a white metropolitan girl's battle with chronic (insert screenwriter's favourite personal problem here).
Any who, it's still well made and well acted and you can't take that away from Goddess of Love. That's got to count for something i guess.
He Picked The Wrong Club...
azathothpwiggins6 February 2024
In GODDESS OF LOVE, exotic dancer, Venus (Alexis Kendra) falls for a man (Woody Naismith) in the club where she performs, leading to a whirlwind romance. Unfortunately for Venus, the relationship doesn't quite go as she had hoped, causing her to become increasingly jealous, desperate, and suspicious.
Director Jon Knautz does a great job of slowly building the mania, and dialing up the psychotic tension. Ms. Kendra plays her unbalanced role as a somewhat sympathetic character, that is, until it all hits the fan. Venus is a driven force of nature who simply cannot handle disappointment.
The result is a superior horror-thriller fueled by vengeance. It also has a wonderful twist at the end...
Director Jon Knautz does a great job of slowly building the mania, and dialing up the psychotic tension. Ms. Kendra plays her unbalanced role as a somewhat sympathetic character, that is, until it all hits the fan. Venus is a driven force of nature who simply cannot handle disappointment.
The result is a superior horror-thriller fueled by vengeance. It also has a wonderful twist at the end...
Beautiful, Tough Women; Weak Men
bemyfriend-4018411 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A film of beautiful, tough women; and weak men. Very beautiful women. The plot seems solid, and drew me in. Then, the ass-pull of an ending. She's crazy. Period. That's it and that's all. Well, we all know women are crazy. But that's never all there is. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site; which offers lots of low-budget indies, lots of foreign, lots of older theater flix, and lots of flops.
Surprised there are people that can give this anything over a 1
self-username31 October 2021
Please don't waste your time watching this garbage. If the nokia 3310 came with a camera and you made an ad-hoc recording of people walking on the street with that camera, it would look and have a better story than this piece of trash.
Venus gone mad
kosmasp23 June 2018
You kind of know where that woman is going when she is called Venus, don't you? But there is more to this than just her (sex) drive. As another reviewer stated, hell hath no fury - like Venus scorned I'd write. Having said all that, there is obviously nudity and sex in this movie, but also a lot of violence.
If you can handle that, there is something there to enjoy. Well if you can say that about madness and craziness of course. The story sort of makes sense, although there is a lot of things that go south and may be totally ruining the movie for some. Characters behaving irrationally is a given of course ...
If you can handle that, there is something there to enjoy. Well if you can say that about madness and craziness of course. The story sort of makes sense, although there is a lot of things that go south and may be totally ruining the movie for some. Characters behaving irrationally is a given of course ...
A delicious descent into madness.
davillain-9210925 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Goddess Of Love stars actress Alexis Kendra, a very beautiful and stunning woman, to which I was pleasantly surprised how good she was in this film. With films like 'Hatchet II' on her resume, I didn't expect much from her.
Alexis plays a stripper called 'Venus', which happens to be her actual birth given name, which she confirms to another co-stripper (lol right now for my co-stripper comments) during a conversation or lesson per-say on how to get more money from the men who come to the club. Venus uses this information and garners the attention from a customer named 'Brian', a photographer. Soon there after the two began a passionate relationship. During such time Brian tells Venus about his ex-wife, in which we find out that she had committed suicide. Brian also conveys on how much his misses her, and that Venus resembles her. Venus becomes the attentive adoring girlfriend, but we soon find out that Brian's heart and mind is not into the relationship as much as she is. Which was surprising to me due to the fact that Venus was smoking hot and was what most men would want in a woman as such....on top of being a super sexy stripper?! She cooks for him, wants to spend time with him, does sexy strip routines at home for him and more.
During the film, or maybe I should say in the beginning of the film we see that for all that makes her a man's dream girl...Venus has some issues...mental issues. Vivid hallucinations, voices etc. Brian soon sees less and less of Venus, calling off dates and or making excuses not to see her. Venus begins to stalk Brian and sees what she thinks is Brian spending time with another woman. After which Venus descends deeper into the realm of madness, and obsession.
It's almost sad to see how it all plays out. Goddess of love is a mixture of 'Play misty for me, Fatal Attraction' and other films in this particular genre. Yes we've all seen it before, but not quite like this. Predictable at times, but that doesn't matter, you'll enjoy this this delicious descent into madness.
Note: for you shallow guys out there, again I have to say Alexis (Venus) is nude in a vast amount of the film. One extreme violent scene, which was pretty close to overkill. For the rest of you out there, the acting on Alexis's part was pretty good, the direction was up to par but not award winning. Watch it with you girlfriend or wife and wait for her to start questioning the relationship...lol.
Alexis plays a stripper called 'Venus', which happens to be her actual birth given name, which she confirms to another co-stripper (lol right now for my co-stripper comments) during a conversation or lesson per-say on how to get more money from the men who come to the club. Venus uses this information and garners the attention from a customer named 'Brian', a photographer. Soon there after the two began a passionate relationship. During such time Brian tells Venus about his ex-wife, in which we find out that she had committed suicide. Brian also conveys on how much his misses her, and that Venus resembles her. Venus becomes the attentive adoring girlfriend, but we soon find out that Brian's heart and mind is not into the relationship as much as she is. Which was surprising to me due to the fact that Venus was smoking hot and was what most men would want in a woman as such....on top of being a super sexy stripper?! She cooks for him, wants to spend time with him, does sexy strip routines at home for him and more.
During the film, or maybe I should say in the beginning of the film we see that for all that makes her a man's dream girl...Venus has some issues...mental issues. Vivid hallucinations, voices etc. Brian soon sees less and less of Venus, calling off dates and or making excuses not to see her. Venus begins to stalk Brian and sees what she thinks is Brian spending time with another woman. After which Venus descends deeper into the realm of madness, and obsession.
It's almost sad to see how it all plays out. Goddess of love is a mixture of 'Play misty for me, Fatal Attraction' and other films in this particular genre. Yes we've all seen it before, but not quite like this. Predictable at times, but that doesn't matter, you'll enjoy this this delicious descent into madness.
Note: for you shallow guys out there, again I have to say Alexis (Venus) is nude in a vast amount of the film. One extreme violent scene, which was pretty close to overkill. For the rest of you out there, the acting on Alexis's part was pretty good, the direction was up to par but not award winning. Watch it with you girlfriend or wife and wait for her to start questioning the relationship...lol.
Sexy and... nuts
danthepoetman14 August 2022
Surprisingly entertaining given the announced topic. It could have fell all over with boring notes and moody development (trying not to give up anything, here - no spoilers). But no: we delve into this woman's psyche and it's fun, it's a wild trip.
The ending is a bit easy and therefore, disappointing. But only the very end.
In terms of cinematography, it's pretty well made. Photography is good, so is the editing. But it falls a bit short. It's a tiny bit... raw, a little thin. It shows its small budget through the manner it's done, imo.
Actors are good. It's a sexy flick you tend to follow with interest all the way through the end. Personally, I liked it. It was a good 90-something minutes. Really enjoyable. I rate it 5 a bit unfairly. I think it's probably worth something closer to a 6, but it does fall short of it. (6: entertaining; 5: entertaining with reservations).
The ending is a bit easy and therefore, disappointing. But only the very end.
In terms of cinematography, it's pretty well made. Photography is good, so is the editing. But it falls a bit short. It's a tiny bit... raw, a little thin. It shows its small budget through the manner it's done, imo.
Actors are good. It's a sexy flick you tend to follow with interest all the way through the end. Personally, I liked it. It was a good 90-something minutes. Really enjoyable. I rate it 5 a bit unfairly. I think it's probably worth something closer to a 6, but it does fall short of it. (6: entertaining; 5: entertaining with reservations).
Hell hath no Wrath like a Psychotic Woman Scorned
manuelasaez3 March 2016
Holy crap, what an awesomely entertaining film. I purposely knew nothing about it, other than the written synopsis, and the film ended up being of the most well-made American films I have seen in a long time. The premise starts off simple enough; a very pretty girl meets a man at a strip club and a relationship blooms. Unfortunately, things start to go south very quickly. The level of crazy in this is commendable, and I found myself chuckling at how disturbingly psychotic the female lead became, and by the time the credits start to roll, you are left with a sense of satisfaction that no loose ends were left, which in itself is a success. Coupled with a talented cast, great use of practical special effects, and some amazingly beautiful cinematography (seriously, there were times when I paused the film and thought to myself, "That would make a beautiful painting"), this film is an achievement in cinematic excellence, as far as I am concerned. The people responsible for this should be commended for not only showing the world what films can become at the hands of competent people, but also what a love for the craft embeds into the final product. A treat from start to finish, the writer/director has a new fan and I look forward to what this creative team does next.
A well-crafted little film.
peterdaskaloff24 January 2017
Since the essential plot elements are mentioned by the other reviewers, all I want to point out is that Goddess of Love is a good-looking little film, with an aura of authenticity. The plot seems to be secondary, making the film an acting showcase for its star, Alexis Kendra, playing the role of a young and mentally unstable stripper named Venus. And what a showcase it is! Helping along is Woody Naismith, in the role of Brian, a photographer and a love interest, playing the character with wonderfully nuanced performance. Once in a while, a film like this one pops out, head and shoulders above films with similar budgets. Beautifully shot and directed by Jon Knautz. Pleasure to watch!
A Nice Surprise
tailgator-7209527 April 2016
Once in awhile, something really surprises you. I wasn't expecting this to be as entertaining as it turned out.
As another reviewer mentioned, the photography was gorgeous. The choices of camera angles and shots were superb, and it was beautifully lit.
The story was engrossing and the script was well written.
Ms. Kendra. Rarely is a woman this drop-dead beautiful also this skilled and talented. She carried the movie well and was really believable. This girl has game.
Great job by all involved. I will watch again.
As another reviewer mentioned, the photography was gorgeous. The choices of camera angles and shots were superb, and it was beautifully lit.
The story was engrossing and the script was well written.
Ms. Kendra. Rarely is a woman this drop-dead beautiful also this skilled and talented. She carried the movie well and was really believable. This girl has game.
Great job by all involved. I will watch again.
Fantastic surprise
Steve-war31 December 2018
A disturbing movie with an absolutely kickass and brave central performance, this should be much more widely known than it is.
You won't be able to look away.
Makes Fatal Attraction seem like Bambi.
Very, very nicely done.
Surprisingly Good
choonmixer9510 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The plot has been covered in great detail by other reviewers so I will just say how much I was surprised by this movie. I watched it on Amazon Prime and thought it would probably a bit of a B movie (even though I scanned some of the other reviews on here first). However, I was completely entranced by the way this stoey played out. The lead actress was compelling to watch as she decended into madness (or rather as we were allowed to glimpse her existing psychotic issues). Excellent acting and great story with an unpredictable twist (at least I was surprised by it). As others have said the cinematography and directing was also first class.
Well acted, well written, directed and paced.
seantra-4778116 April 2018
I loved this movie. It is easily one of my favourites movies. 5.3 is a joke but the people who didn't like this film didn't understand it in my opinion. Or they just don't like this genre.
I feel the whole delusions/hallucinations thing hasn't been done to great effect with a lot of movies, but it was superbly done here. They even threw in a twist at the end which was good. It was also an interesting commentary on mental illness and how when someone tries to self medicate rather than go to a doctor etc, the results are normally bad.
I did notice this film rated a little better with an older audience. I'm not surprised as I don't see people with very little life experience understanding that people like this character do exist in the world, and this is likely how they would act.
Last but not least, the acting in this movie was terrific. Alexis Kendra is a very talented actress, and considering she also co wrote this movie, you could tell she put her heart and soul into the character, which paid big dividends in my eyes. Everyone else in the movie acted well too I thought.
I did notice this film rated a little better with an older audience. I'm not surprised as I don't see people with very little life experience understanding that people like this character do exist in the world, and this is likely how they would act.
Last but not least, the acting in this movie was terrific. Alexis Kendra is a very talented actress, and considering she also co wrote this movie, you could tell she put her heart and soul into the character, which paid big dividends in my eyes. Everyone else in the movie acted well too I thought.
You can touch me
nogodnomasters18 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Venus (Alexis Kendra) has an ideal life. She takes ballet, plays piano, is learning French, works out, and works as a stripper. She is also very good looking. At the club she meets Brian (Woody Naismith), a melancholy Aussie photographer who just lost his wife. They hit it off and start dating. She becomes suspect of him cheating as we watch her imagination work overtime making us uncertain what is real and imaginary.
This is a decent low budget psychological thriller with a sprinkling of light erotica. Venus provides us with an interesting character. The surprise ending was poorly clued...close but no cigar. Good performance by Alexis Kendra.
Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Alexis Kendra, Elizabeth Sandy, Monda Scott)
This is a decent low budget psychological thriller with a sprinkling of light erotica. Venus provides us with an interesting character. The surprise ending was poorly clued...close but no cigar. Good performance by Alexis Kendra.
Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Alexis Kendra, Elizabeth Sandy, Monda Scott)
this movie draws you in like the beginning warm fuzzies of a relationship, then chews you up and spits you out. just like a relationship.
namsonic27 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
hell has no wrath like a woman scorned while on meth... this movie demonstrates why most guys are scared to breakup with their girlfriend or wife or both. the female version of American Psycho. reminds me of the psycho who drugged her husband, cut off his testicles, and ground them in the garbage disposal, then called the police as she sat and watched TV (this happened in real life in California). this movie is a must see for any guy who plans on leaving his girlfriend or wife. you never know how psychotic she can become until you push her far enough. they're all so perfectly sweet until you sleep with them... then they think they own you and can kill your cat. ii would punch any woman who killed my cat. one of the reasons ii love this movie is because ii can relate to Brian. he seems like a good guy overall, just confused and going through a rough patch. he's actually portrayed as somewhat a perfect guy because he is forthcoming, honest, and does not seem to have an ounce of deceit in his actions. the love interest is gentle, but far too passionate (psychotic). anyhow, don't want to give away too much. this movie is definitely a masterpiece in creating the atmosphere of drawing the audience into a place we've all been... feeling the butterflies and heartache of an intense relationship.
Crazy plot twist
toofastyasoz30 September 2019
Give this movie a chance!!
pfinny22 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Ok I watched expecting more strip club action.
But the enjoyment was the lead actor and really hoping things end up good for her. It's rare I can see a movie for a horror and chick flick so interwoven. All movies you can predict buts but there is plenty of twists. No cast were killed by accident.
I love films with crazy females so I am biased but I do feel she is a really likeable character. I will be watching out for movies we with this cast.
Some more use of music or radio would be nice in car chases or stalking her victims. I mean a chase can always be improved by music even if it is old school. Even try listening to a baseball game.
To be honest I would give it 7.5/10
Pros: Horror/Love Story, likeable lead actor, Twist Cons: Bit slow burner, Boring car chase.
But the enjoyment was the lead actor and really hoping things end up good for her. It's rare I can see a movie for a horror and chick flick so interwoven. All movies you can predict buts but there is plenty of twists. No cast were killed by accident.
I love films with crazy females so I am biased but I do feel she is a really likeable character. I will be watching out for movies we with this cast.
Some more use of music or radio would be nice in car chases or stalking her victims. I mean a chase can always be improved by music even if it is old school. Even try listening to a baseball game.
To be honest I would give it 7.5/10
Pros: Horror/Love Story, likeable lead actor, Twist Cons: Bit slow burner, Boring car chase.
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