Club Utopia, destined for Cult status
Alex Enitlov (Srdjan Nikolic) and his wife Sally (Elise Muller) appear to be living the American dream. A luxury home in the suburbs, a job as a Stock Trader, and the outward appearance of success. Alas, there is trouble in paradise. Alex is having an affair with his secretary, and ignoring his marriage in the pursuit of wealth. Add to that a foot fetish, a neurotic neighbour, and the belief that his wife is trying to kill him, and you have the ingredients for a cinematic disaster. When his wife, Sally, decides to return to work, Alex is desperate to know what she is up to, and ensure his infidelity is kept under wraps. He enlists a seedy Private Detective to sort things out.
Private Detective Sabatini (Frank Caruso), a poor man's Sam Spade, with the aid of his cousin (Shiraz Tayyed) get on Sally's trail that leads to the doorstep of Club Utopia. Club Utopia is a strip joint owned by Sisco (Brett Halsey) an establishment that has seen better days. Sally soon realizes there is more money in stripping than in serving tables, and takes the job. Owner, Sisco, is a man with a love/hate relationship with women. The strippers make him money which he promptly hands over to his ex-wives. Sabatini collides with all of these characters and hilarity ensues. A story filled with a bazaar murder plot, unlikely co- conspiraters, sex, lies and blackmail. There is never a dull moment at Club Utopia.
Caruso is no stranger to stage and screen as this is his eighth film and he has had numerous, successful stage productions. In this reporter's opinion, Club Utopia is Frank Caruso's best work. He manages to capture the mood and pitfalls of modern day relationships in this film- noir comedy.
It is great to see Brett Halsey on the big screen again. Movie buffs will remember him from Universal Studio movies The Atomic Sub, The Return of the Fly, and many more. Brett also created the role of John Abbott in the long-running television series "The Young and The Restless". Special mention goes out to Caruso as Sabatini, his dead-from-the-neck- up cousin, Mr. Cologne, and actress Heather O'Donnell who makes the most of her time, and jumps off the screen from a group of one-dimensional strippers.
A film very much in the vein of Kevin Kline's "I Love You To Death". Club Utopia is destined to become a cult classic and one you have to see more than once to catch all the comedy nuances.
Movie Review by John P. Stoddart, Movie Reviewer and Film Historian
Alex Enitlov (Srdjan Nikolic) and his wife Sally (Elise Muller) appear to be living the American dream. A luxury home in the suburbs, a job as a Stock Trader, and the outward appearance of success. Alas, there is trouble in paradise. Alex is having an affair with his secretary, and ignoring his marriage in the pursuit of wealth. Add to that a foot fetish, a neurotic neighbour, and the belief that his wife is trying to kill him, and you have the ingredients for a cinematic disaster. When his wife, Sally, decides to return to work, Alex is desperate to know what she is up to, and ensure his infidelity is kept under wraps. He enlists a seedy Private Detective to sort things out.
Private Detective Sabatini (Frank Caruso), a poor man's Sam Spade, with the aid of his cousin (Shiraz Tayyed) get on Sally's trail that leads to the doorstep of Club Utopia. Club Utopia is a strip joint owned by Sisco (Brett Halsey) an establishment that has seen better days. Sally soon realizes there is more money in stripping than in serving tables, and takes the job. Owner, Sisco, is a man with a love/hate relationship with women. The strippers make him money which he promptly hands over to his ex-wives. Sabatini collides with all of these characters and hilarity ensues. A story filled with a bazaar murder plot, unlikely co- conspiraters, sex, lies and blackmail. There is never a dull moment at Club Utopia.
Caruso is no stranger to stage and screen as this is his eighth film and he has had numerous, successful stage productions. In this reporter's opinion, Club Utopia is Frank Caruso's best work. He manages to capture the mood and pitfalls of modern day relationships in this film- noir comedy.
It is great to see Brett Halsey on the big screen again. Movie buffs will remember him from Universal Studio movies The Atomic Sub, The Return of the Fly, and many more. Brett also created the role of John Abbott in the long-running television series "The Young and The Restless". Special mention goes out to Caruso as Sabatini, his dead-from-the-neck- up cousin, Mr. Cologne, and actress Heather O'Donnell who makes the most of her time, and jumps off the screen from a group of one-dimensional strippers.
A film very much in the vein of Kevin Kline's "I Love You To Death". Club Utopia is destined to become a cult classic and one you have to see more than once to catch all the comedy nuances.
Movie Review by John P. Stoddart, Movie Reviewer and Film Historian