Among the many innovations exclusive to the era, The 80’s
reinvented – through pure necessity – the sex comedy. You can neatly split the era into two
halves: the freewheeling pre-HIV-era
(Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and the neurotic post-AIDS years, of which
Casual Sex? Is the epitome.
Popular culture dealt with the AIDS crises in numerous
ways. Some sought to confront it
directly (various TV movies, and eventually TV sitcoms, did bits about the
disease, culminating in popular explorations of the disease in movies and plays
like “Rent”, “Angels in America” and “And The Band Played On”.). Others ignored it by delving into the past (a
general rise in nostalgia for the 60’s first occurred in the late 80’s,
eventually culminating in a second Woodstock celebration in the 90’s) or
advocated for free-love-with-a-rubber (80’s video culture). And even more made jokes; many a 90’s child
likely remembers watching Lt. Drebbin and his lady love Jane roll across their
bed while wearing full body condoms in Naked Gun.
Casual Sex takes the comedy approach with a twist; it tries to be
touching and whimsical in the same breath – and occasionally succeeds.
It’s also likely the only time you will ever see former SNL cast member, archconservative and conspiracy hound Victoria Jackson in a sex comedy.
Our protagonists are Melissa (Jackson) and Stacy (Lea
Thompson of Caroline in the City and Back to the Future fame), two women who’ve
been best friends since their teen years.
Stacy is the wild child who only wants to have a good time with as many
long-haired artist types as she can, and awkward wallflower Melissa’s a
one-girl guy who yearns for marriage to her schlub of a boyfriend. They share nearly everything together –
including the truth behind their sexual experiences, warts and all. But when AIDS becomes a nationwide headline,
a panicked Stacy decides to find commitment, and the ignored Melissa decides that life's too short to not have a good time. They both, as the poster states, go in search of that elusive species - the perfect man.
To accomplish these goals, the twosome take off on vacation
to a Club Med-like resort. There, singletons mingle under the pretense of
getting into shape, though the true object is to find somebody to mate
with.
Both women are confronted straight out of the gate by
self-absorbed New York boy with a vulnerable side Vinny (Andrew “Dice” Clay – yes, THAT Andrew “Dice”
Clay), and though Stacy frequently finds herself thrown together with him
during club-related activities and Melissa frequently seeks him out for advice,
both set their sights elsewhere for romance.
Stacy meets a down-and out musician (Ted McGinley lookalike Stephen
Shellen) who entertains at the club – though he seems sensitive, he threatens
to drag her down her old flaky bad girl habit of settling for unreliable men -
and she also must compete for his attention with a leggy blonde. Meanwhile, Melissa realizes there are more
fish in the sea than she dreamed possible, and after a few messy mistakes she tries
to find sexual satisfaction with club masseuse Jamie (Andrew McCarthy clone
Jerry Levine). But neither man is all
that he seems, and prince charming just might be harder to find than either
woman anticipated.
Casual Sex? Is an unusual experience for the viewer. The movie
was adapted from a play, and it never really manages to shed its roots, having
the women break the fourth wall and address the camera as well as monologue directly
to them in stiff, stagey scenes. It
tries to camouflage this by also indulging in elaborate fantasy sequences that
either rehash material that’s already been expressly given the audience or
bluntly tells them how the characters feel in the most cartoonish way possible . As you may have guessed, these scenes really
don’t add much to the movie, and work poorly as a framing device.
And how well does the movie translate to modern
audiences? The answer is poorly. Very poorly.
How 80’s is this movie? It opens
with a Buster Poindexter cover of Hot Hot Hot and segues to a pink neon sign. Things don’t get much relatable for younger audience members afterward, as
there’s a lot of Only 80s Kids Will Understand moments and references (if you
don’t, for instance, remember the ridiculousness of the 80’s workout craze,
half of the movie will be lost on you).
And yet somehow it manages to be a sweet, charming excursion
into the lives of working women who know what they want and who they are, and
who refuse to change . The most amazing thing
about the movie isn’t that you’ll be able to look beyond the glossy, cheesy
mid-80’s packaging – it’s that the most relatable character is Vinny. Yes, audience, you’ll find yourself rooting
for Andrew Dice Clay as he pulls off an almost Sandy-in-Grease level makeover
on his way to romance. With which – if
any – of our leading ladies he lands I will leave to you to discover.
3 Stars out of 5.
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