With blunt, intriguing questions about the business of sex versus the heartfelt bond of codependent familial relationships, director-writer Ash cultivates a masterful menu of humor, conflict, loyalty and gut-wrenching self-doubt. He does it with a remarkable eye on James Woods, who turns in his best performance, and newcomer Juliette Marquis. This is not your average homily about a girl who grows up too quickly. Once the sex circus subsides, This Girl's Life morphs into a rather subtle, sometimes piercing and cautionary tale about a woman’s freedom to both succeed and implode. Ash delivers a noteworthy work, and he does it at his own pace, deliciously carved bit by bit.

HondaReport.com Movie Review
Title: This Girl’s Life
Pupule’s Rating: * * * 1/2 stars

MPPR Rating: n/a
Date of Viewing: November 2, 2003
Location: Dole Cannery/Hawaii International Film Festival

By Paul Honda
Monday, November 3, 2003

Contrary to what the title may imply—someone’s grandma might picture a young Julie Andrews or Audrey Hepburn in the lead role—This Girl’s Life is doesn’t start out as a fable about dreams and hopes, but a rather easy and small fortune at the cost of a soul.

The beauty of it is that we don’t see the price being paid for a long time, well into the twists and turns in the life of Moon Glow, flesh princess of the Internet.

In fact, what newcomer Juliette Marquis brings to the camera is an audacious combination of exactly what director-writer Ash (yes, one word) requires: Porn-star flammability, girl-next-door sweetness and ultimately, the vulnerability of a young woman who grows up too fast and has to face her reckoning.

The skeptics—and certainly there will be many—can point to Ash’s creation as a glorified porn flick that meets Hollywood approval just because James Woods and Michael Rappaport play key parts. The same cynics can also scoff at the part-time first-person narrative by Moon, Marquis’ character.

But in the end, and in spite of a plethora of high-voltage porn scenes that surpasses any sex seen in mainstream cinema, Ash allows his actors to act. This isn’t going to win an Oscar for best picture or best direction, but surprisingly, Ash shows enough cajones to bring out some unexpected moments of ribald humor, tender exchanges and real, texturized conflict in a handful of subplot conflicts.

The Hype: Maybe it’s the location, but Ash is, for the most part, a complete unknown. Anyone who succeeds in the entertainment industry is lauded. Anyone who fails miserably is chewed and spat out. Other than that, and the key contributions of Rappaport and Woods, there isn’t a whole lot of expectation with TGL, unlike another film I viewed on the same night, The Cooler.

Strengths: Ash may be young, but he certainly knows how—and when—to let the camera work. With Woods as a physically disabled Parkinson’s disease father to Moon, the sky—or the depths—were the limit. The first 15 minutes are a straight narrative by Moon as she coaxes us into her world gently, and then plants a figurative skyscraper at our feet with her typical day at the “office.” Her office happens to be Primal Video studio, where she is the megastar of their web cam porn business. The narrative style works well, thanks in part to Marquis’ sultry, occasionally throaty voice. But more interestingly, we walk each step, hear each thought, follow every conversation she has through a period of days. This is more than Julie Andrews-if-she-had-played-a-movie star, or Mary Tyler Moore, for that matter. It’s about control, though we see none of that issue through the first half of film.

To Ash’s credit, he downplays issues almost to a fault. There is nary a conflict—the bread and butter of all great drama—for quite some time. Ash allows for Moon to be strong, independent and a great buddy to her circle of girlfriends—both in and out of the porn industry. But once the conflicts—and some aren’t overly dramatic—begin to gain momentum, this film gets fascinating real fast. Even with a multitude of music, he never allows it to overshadow some terrific exchanges between Woods and Marquis. Ash understands boiling points. When Rappaport finally makes his entrance in a short, but brutally intense scene—Moon begins a “sex investigation” business (“S.I.A.”) in her first attempt to work outside the parameters of the porn business—the tension mounts with an indelible flavor. And I haven’t even begun to delve into Ash’s success at building the anticipation that Woods’ character, referred to only as “Dad,” was going to injure himself somehow, or worse, due to his health condition and penchant for wandering anywhere.

As a final note on the film’s many strengths, credit Ash for knowing how and when to bring a point home with conviction, i.e. violence. His patience is remarkable, allowing the other elements to simmer and stew. When he holds back, he withholds with the best among his peers. For me to even mention one of the violent incidents would be inexcusable, but you’ll get the point.

Weaknesses: Disclaimer—Do not read beyond this point if you are going to see TGL. In such a well layered script, it’s annoying nitpicking of me to slice out a few warts, but it is worth surveying. Could conflict have arrived in the story sooner? For some viewers, particularly male watchers, it was slow. But that’s where one of the other flaws of TGL sets in. Through the first half of the film, Ash relies on porn scenes the way Tarantino spewed blood and guts in Kill Bill. Granted, I enjoyed Kill Bill, but I had to wonder (especially when I wasn’t staring at Marquis’ remarkable “presence”)—why so much skin? I think the premise of her porn princess status was made clear without any actual flesh appearing on film. And yes, when Ash brings us one sex scene, then another and another, his timing is precise and convincing. But by the fifth scene, particularly when another flashback takes us to Moon’s first on-camera “experience,” it was certainly overkill.

Did any of us men in the theater complain? No. Not a single person, male or female, left the building. And judging by the silence, every scene was captivating, if not bewildering. But again, Ash is a young director, and he gives us on-screen what he knows best, and he gave plenty across the board, not just skin.

Another problem was audio. In at least two scenes, I was distracted by a change in volume levels. One included the scene where Rappaport’s car salesman character is screaming at Moon; the audio was so far down that I wondered what happened. In two other scenes, it was obvious that Marquis had done a voiceover, but the cringe factor was relatively minute.

A final observation: Ash fine-tuned this motion picture with a fine-tooth comb, and for that I am absolutely appreciative. However, the final scene—the one that should explode due to the content of Dad and Moon’s unique and dependent relationship—fails to deliver at an A-plus level. Is it the fault of Marquis? Hell no. She blows that final scene up—I refuse to give it away because it is so powerful—in such a way that I am convinced that without the excessive sex scenes, she could easily be up for an Oscar based solely on her performance with clothes on.

In another work worthy of an Oscar nomination (though I hardly believe the Academy will recognize this film as “legitimate”), Woods pulls off an amazing performance as a Parkinson’s victim, plus the incredible shock of the final scene. But the music behind the scene was so underwhelming, it became a distraction. Where a tune with subtlety and a strong crescendo would have fit perfectly, Ash chose to downscale a scene with as much power as any in film this year. He brought in a porn-music-sounding blues riff. That was disappointing. The riff flowed evenly into the ensuing scene that closes the film. But, for whatever reason, Ash decided to downscale the emotion instead of allowing those of us riveted to Woods and Marquis to absorb their pain and guilt. It’s a lesson learned, I hope, for Ash. He gave us great humor, mind-boggling (if predictable) relationship issues to think about, and the opportunity to rip our hearts open was there. He backed off, and perhaps that was his goal all along.

Final notes on weaknesses: Scenes involving some of Moon’s friends, especially a shoot involving one of her “co-workers,” weren’t absolutely necessary, other than to show us that Mr. A, the seemingly asexual CEO of Primal Video, has a wickedly angry side to his normally professional countenance.

Also, the development of Moon’s relationship with a lower-scale TV actor was promising at first. Their blind date had a very honest, candid feel as the conversation toured and detoured their lives and experiences—and her revelation that she is a porn actress. But as the movie marched on, his role was unnecessary to the point where he turns a homespun therapist in his last scene with her. It was nice to see that she is capable of having a “normal” relationship with a guy, but it wasn’t necessary. Not a big weakness, but a trim (no pun intended) would have been fine.

Best Scene: The hormones of this reviewer say any scene with Marquis and her Miss America smile, regardless of her clothing or lack thereof. But to pinpoint one scene is fruitless. Woods gets right into our solar plexi with a string of well-timed jokes throughout the first half of the film. Stammering and huffing through each sentence, and straining about almost painfully, he turned out the best work of his career. Ultimately, the best scene, though I’ve already chiseled away at it, is the climactic scene between Moon and her dad, and the way they handled a multitude of extremely dangerous emotions. It is the best example of why this film has to be recognized for more than being a vehicle for Marquis rather than a porno dressed up as a straight film.

Ultimately, it is the relationship between Moon and her single-parent father—widowed when their mother apparently committed suicide when Moon was 12—that crystallizes into an undeniable factor that overrides all compromises and soul-selling. It is when Dad finally sees evidence of her daughter’s involvement with the sex industry that his illness takes a downturn, a domino effect that sends the plotline speeding ahead to the finish.

Worst Scene: As I mentioned beforehand, the best scene is also the worst. In other words, if it was gradable, the climax is an A-minus that could have become an A-plus.

Summary: The credits make much ado about this being Marquis’ debut into the world of film. I would rather they focus more on her performance, period, regardless of her background, experience or unfamiliarity. There is so much going for this script, the acting, the timing of elements (humor, conflict, etc.) and Ash’s direction, that I couldn’t help but think well before the close that this level of storytelling is stunning, with or without the nekkid scenes.

Rosario Dawson’s appearance in this film is almost forgettable, but her cameo included the first draw of blood, so to speak, in terms of conflict. She practically challenges Moon to prove how subjecting herself to porn is a true form of freedom in light of the sacrifices made by women of the past. Moon’s reaction is that she is firmly in control, i.e. bringing in dough. From that point on, the tempo picks up, and just in the nick of time.

Where other character studies of fell short, i.e. Lost in Translation and it’s denial of human nature and the hormonal chemistry that happens when two people are intimately, physically close, TGL succeeds. Ash used and abused cellphone ringing to disrupt a plethora of palpable scenes, but it worked because Dad was always in need. One of the best subplots of the film came when Moon and one of her close friends (another porn star) went in for HIV testing. Ash milks the scene, breaks away for a few minutes, and returns without indicating a lean in either direction. I was half-expecting the worst, and Ash kept me on my toes.

She’ll be remembered most, at least by her admiring fans, for her taut body, whispery voice and a smile that brings a younger Ashley Judd to mind, but Marquis owns this character in every way. And that is both mesmerizing and scary; there are plenty of attractive young women in the skin-peddling business, which begs the question, what fine line exists that allows a talent like Marquis—she certainly showed a convincing penchant for X-rated glory—to succeed in film festival material, while less fortunate women opt for the adult industry?

Final final note: With so many Eastern religious icons in the film, it is an intriguing moment when Moon utters her final line: “I’m not gonna wait until I die to be reincarnated. I can reincarnate while I’m still alive.” It’s a subtle way to bring a series of bizarre scenarios to a Disney-ish conclusion, but for what it’s worth, Ash balances the gluttonous festival of flesh with plenty of soul searching. That earns Ash a closer look as he matures into his next several films, and he certainly could build a library of extremely varied work.

Marquis will win an Oscar, if not two or three, before her career is over. It make take years, in the eyes of Academy members, to forget the Primal Video images of her, but mark my words, she is only going to get better with her acting chops. I hesitate to call her the best young actress in the industry, but frankly, I can’t think of anyone on par or even close. Her next role, hopefully, will be carefully filtered out from the predictable mess of sex-themed films that are going to come her way. I also hope she manages to avoid the generic action-chick road that Angelina Jolie has paved. That path works fine for Jolie—there is a slight physical resemblance, by the way—but Marquis can certainly call her shots now, if she has the patience to wait for great scripts. If Moon could seriously consider pulling out of all aspects of the sex industry, Marquis would be just as wise.

Discretionary notes: Due to the graphic sex scenes, no child should see this film. In fact, there are plenty of adults who will be offended by this material, so pick your movie-watching partner(s) carefully.

Discuss this review and film with the movie fiends at HBS.

Previous Article: Film Review: 'Mystic River' compells with exquisite storytelling
Next Article: Film Review: 'Spring Subway' agonizing and compelling

Comments