"If you didn't feel insecure, then what would we have to talk about?" So says soap hunk Bruce Greenwood to his latest fling before rushing off to see his hairdresser (or next fling) right before a previous fling gets her revenge. Certainly the plastic, shallow females driving down Sunset Blvd. All want their chance in the sack with him, and he's playing with fire as his bedtime activities increase as his dog Rocky is trained to aide him in picking up dates. Even his dressing room has more action than his studying of his script, wearing dark glasses so he can read the cue cards, attracting the ire of a more serious methody male co-star. This leads to a very funny scene between them that reveals how shallow and untalented he is in spite of the fact that he gets a ton of fan male.
Along comes clothed centerfold Vanessa Angel whom Greenwood falls deeply in love with in spite of his habit of picking up women everywhere he goes. Actually, while she's beautiful, she's more angelic and far more real looking, and he pretends to be the same. But as it turns out, she's as voracious sexually as he is, and plays the game even better, giving him a taste of his own ploys. Their second date? Church of course, with the minister discussing the wild man of the flesh. He is going to need a lot of cold showers after going out with her.
Rocky the dog is an amazing dog, kind to kittens, and 30 minutes into this sweet romantic film we get the reverb filled theme song standard in 80's comedies and the montage that shows how he can be changed. But old tricks die hard for Greenwood, and perhaps the karma of the past is about to catch up with him, and a series of spiritual and demonic situations involving Diana, a succubus and St. Peter, a bearded old man observing him from the sidelines, turns out to be his guide to true redemption.
While not quite an original idea (think of the play "Goodbye Charlie", remade as "Switch"), this is quite likeable in spite of the fact that a bit of flesh keeps this from being a family comedy. Greenwood is perfect as the typical 80's soap hunk, but Angel is unfortunately rather bland. Rocky and the sweet little black kitten provide more depth than she does. This has a fabulous Southern California atmosphere with glorious location footage and lavish settings. The anticipation of Greenwood's redemption will keep you from being bored even though there are a ton of shallow moments along the way. When Hollywood wags the finger at itself, it can be quite amusing. Anne Ramsey has a cameo fresh from her Oscar nominated role as "Mama" which is a nice pleasant surprise.
Along comes clothed centerfold Vanessa Angel whom Greenwood falls deeply in love with in spite of his habit of picking up women everywhere he goes. Actually, while she's beautiful, she's more angelic and far more real looking, and he pretends to be the same. But as it turns out, she's as voracious sexually as he is, and plays the game even better, giving him a taste of his own ploys. Their second date? Church of course, with the minister discussing the wild man of the flesh. He is going to need a lot of cold showers after going out with her.
Rocky the dog is an amazing dog, kind to kittens, and 30 minutes into this sweet romantic film we get the reverb filled theme song standard in 80's comedies and the montage that shows how he can be changed. But old tricks die hard for Greenwood, and perhaps the karma of the past is about to catch up with him, and a series of spiritual and demonic situations involving Diana, a succubus and St. Peter, a bearded old man observing him from the sidelines, turns out to be his guide to true redemption.
While not quite an original idea (think of the play "Goodbye Charlie", remade as "Switch"), this is quite likeable in spite of the fact that a bit of flesh keeps this from being a family comedy. Greenwood is perfect as the typical 80's soap hunk, but Angel is unfortunately rather bland. Rocky and the sweet little black kitten provide more depth than she does. This has a fabulous Southern California atmosphere with glorious location footage and lavish settings. The anticipation of Greenwood's redemption will keep you from being bored even though there are a ton of shallow moments along the way. When Hollywood wags the finger at itself, it can be quite amusing. Anne Ramsey has a cameo fresh from her Oscar nominated role as "Mama" which is a nice pleasant surprise.
