I saw this movie at its New York premier at the TriBeCa FIlm Festival, and I have inserted the description of the movie from the festival's website:
"Insecure technical writer Kenneth (Desmond Harrington) learns so much about women from his silicone sex doll Nikki, whom he ordered over the Internet, that he gets noticed by flesh-and-blood co-worker Lisa (Melissa Sagemiller). It seems like the start of a beautiful thing, but first he must throw off the guilt with which Nikki is invading his subconscious. Parigi's bizarre love triangle examines the horrors of relationships and the changing nature of love in modern times with inspired creepiness."
Based on this description, I eagerly expected to see an intelligent and mature story about a man's journey into alternative sexual identities and how he adapts to them. And for the first 2/3 of this movie we see excellent acting by Harrington and Sagemiller, and some fine cameos by Rip Torn. This portion of the movie is a quirky black comedy about budding romance. The portrayal of the "RealDoll" which has been shown on HBO's Real Sex and The Howard Stern Show was both surreal and delightfully bizarre.
Then comes the last 1/3 of the movie, which inexplicably turns into a murderous gore-fest which inspired much of the audience to exit the theater. I should have joined them. Perhaps the film festival organizers dropped the ball in how they advertised this movie, but the filmakers dropped the ball by turning what was an intelligent dark romantic comedy into a cheap idiotic slasher flick.
One other thing, I'm sick and tired of movies that portray anyone who engages in consensual alternative sex as either a serial killer or a victim of a serial killer.
Despite the disappointing final act, I must say that both Harrington and Sagemiller should become superstars, and truly dominated the screen. Hopefully, they will be shown in roles which truly merit their talent.
"Insecure technical writer Kenneth (Desmond Harrington) learns so much about women from his silicone sex doll Nikki, whom he ordered over the Internet, that he gets noticed by flesh-and-blood co-worker Lisa (Melissa Sagemiller). It seems like the start of a beautiful thing, but first he must throw off the guilt with which Nikki is invading his subconscious. Parigi's bizarre love triangle examines the horrors of relationships and the changing nature of love in modern times with inspired creepiness."
Based on this description, I eagerly expected to see an intelligent and mature story about a man's journey into alternative sexual identities and how he adapts to them. And for the first 2/3 of this movie we see excellent acting by Harrington and Sagemiller, and some fine cameos by Rip Torn. This portion of the movie is a quirky black comedy about budding romance. The portrayal of the "RealDoll" which has been shown on HBO's Real Sex and The Howard Stern Show was both surreal and delightfully bizarre.
Then comes the last 1/3 of the movie, which inexplicably turns into a murderous gore-fest which inspired much of the audience to exit the theater. I should have joined them. Perhaps the film festival organizers dropped the ball in how they advertised this movie, but the filmakers dropped the ball by turning what was an intelligent dark romantic comedy into a cheap idiotic slasher flick.
One other thing, I'm sick and tired of movies that portray anyone who engages in consensual alternative sex as either a serial killer or a victim of a serial killer.
Despite the disappointing final act, I must say that both Harrington and Sagemiller should become superstars, and truly dominated the screen. Hopefully, they will be shown in roles which truly merit their talent.