michellelocke007 Review of Joy and Joan

Joy and Joan (1985)

great early 80s erotically charged film *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

[8/10 · 9 September 2010]

just bought this film through my local video store. it was the titular cover shot that piqued my interest so i went out on a limb and purchased it not knowing what the film was actually about. pleasantly surprised by how well done it was, the cinematography that is. beautifully shot on location in Thailand and really showing the exotic and local scenery of the country and its inhabitants. a rather peculiar and unusual start to the film where the heroine joy seems bored of her rich, glamorous and famous existence as she goes through the motions of a photo shoot. she longs and pines for her boyfriend marc who turns out be a jerk with a cheating heart who only exists in her life when he wants something and quickly exits hers when she needs him. she winds up as the companion of an older gentleman by the name of bruce whose only wish is to see her happy and will do anything to please her. he ends up whisking her away to Thailand at her request only to use her in a series of orgies as he watches on. there is also a creepy looking prince who seems to be do bruce's every bidding including spying on joy as she dresses and undresses and follows her around the estate. after escaping from bruce's obsessive clutches, joy takes off and later meets a young and vibrant tour guide by the name of joan. the two then embark on a passionate affair that later gets into some strange situations. that said, i won't go into further details that could spill the rest of the storyline though there isn't much of one to tell. brigitte lahaie who used to be a early 70s hardcore performer gives a mediocre performance. my only problem with her is that she lacks any real emotional depth of her character and appears expressionless or as one reviewer said 'like a deer caught in headlights'. one never knows how she is truly feeling or the pain and loneliness of her existence. while she is absolutely gorgeous to look at, in all her naked glory...that about sums it up for her role. i did however, thoroughly enjoy watching the many sex scenes and believe me, there were plenty of it and the cameras did not shy away from the different angles. both lead actresses lahaie and isabelle solar are great to look at and watch in full action. the scenes were tastefully done and nothing too graphic or explicit that would offend the average viewer. a film that is fun and playful but nothing that would be called cinematic or show-stopping...just something to do and watch if you're bored and looking for a bit of a sex romp from the 80s.