What is it about small towns that capture the imagination of story writers everywhere? The idyllic surroundings and conservative attitudes seem to blanket a bubbling cesspool of deceit and abnormality. From television’s fantasy murder mystery Twin Peaks to the rollicking movie musical Footloose, small communities provide fodder for any kind of storytelling.
The latest attack on small town morality comes from writer/director Jeremy Lalonde’s charmingly amusing sex comedy, How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town.
As a teenager, Cassie Cranston (sci-fi television’s darling, Jewel Staite) was run out of her wholesome hometown, Beaver’s Ridge, only to become a highly successful columnist about sex. When her mother dies, Cassie returns home for the funeral and finds her creative juices flowing with inspiration for her next book when she’s ask to help organise an orgy.
The awkwardness of an orgy amongst conservatives is amusing enough but when you add in relationship woes, erectile dysfunction, pregnancies, and one over-eager hornbag of a bloke (played deliciously by Mark O’Brien), you’ve got the makings of something special.
Interestingly, Lalonde doesn’t waste his script on dirty laughs and hanky-panky alone. There’s enough of that to keep the chuckles coming, but he mixes it up with some genuine affection and moments of realness that blend in smoothly with the comical elements of the movie. It’s nothing too profound by any means, but just enough to give this small town orgy some heart.
If there’s one thing that bothers me greatly in this flick, it’s the careless casting of Alex Harrouch and Ennis Esmer as the teenage and adult versions of the same character. The two look nothing alike, right down to the generously hairy chest of the former and the smoother body of the latter. This is not a reflection on the actors themselves who both do a great job – particularly Esmer, who becomes the male lead. Instead, it gives the appearance of sloppiness from Sara Kay and Jenny Lewis in the casting. In a sex comedy, more skin than usual is shown and so the physical appearance of the characters takes on a higher profile, making this casting choice something that should be found in the blooper reel.
There’s plenty to laugh at in How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town with ample chuckles in between. It’s not up there with the laughs of classic British sex farces, but a good time will be had by all.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 7
How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town will be released on DVD on 23 March 2016.
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