Chemistry (Vivid) Review

Reviewed by astroknight  on  2/24/2007

The Little Details

Running Time: 166 min. (cover states A 3 hour movie)

Production Date: 5 / 9 / 2006

Director: Tristan Taormino

Cast: Dana DeArmond, Marie Luv, Mika Tan, Taryn Thomas, Jack Lawrence, Kurt Lockwood, Mr. Marcus, and Tristan Taormino in a non-sex role

The Short Story

Initial Expectations: I've heard some really great things about this one and am really looking forward to checking it out.

Initial Reaction: It's a wonderfully natural gonzo release that shows a lot of care towards the overall release.

Who Should Watch It : Fans of gonzo porn with chemistry and reality TV

Who Should Avoid It: Anybody wanting plenty of nastier sex

The Technical Stuff

Audio /Video Quality: The technical aspects are very nicely done. The audio is clear and well balanced, but there are a few very minor background noises, just like in reality. The video is very nicely presented in anamorphic widescreen. It's very clear and nicely lit for the most part, but there are a few areas which are extremely dark to the point you can barely tell what's going on.

Music: None

Menus: The main menu is very nicely done, mixing a few clips of the movie with a voyeuristic look, a bit of animation, and the boxcover. The chapter menu is also nicely animated and lets you choose a scene based on a small clip of each scene along with the name of the performers and a title for the scene. There's also a positions room to let you go directly to specific sex acts such as pussy eating, doggie, or cumshots.

The Feature

Seven porn stars. One House. Thirty six hours. Cameras. No script. No schedule. What happens next is up to them.

Scene 1 – Marie Luv and Mr. Marcus

Black beauty Marie starts things out getting it on with Mr. Marcus in a hot tub. He comes up and she starts sucking his cock. Marie gets out to lay back on the edge so Marcus can fuck her missionary style before rolling over so he can fuck her from behind. Marie suggests they move things to the bed, so they head inside and back up a bit with some sixty-nining with Marcus fingering both of Marie's holes and Marie taking as much of Marcus into her throat as she can. She lies back to let Marcus fuck her missionary style again and sucks him a little more before hopping onto his cock reverse cowgirl style while letting Marcus fuck her ass at the same time with a toy. Marcus works a cool green glass plug into Marie's ass before fucking her pussy doggie style. He pulls it out to fuck Marie's ass doggie style before letting her have some control reverse cowgirl style and suck it clean. They also get in a little cowgirl fucking before Marcus strokes himself onto Marie's eager mouth with a very impressive pop that's much better than I normally expect from him.

This is a great scene. As the movie's name would suggest, it's all about chemistry and both Marie and Marcus look like they're having a fantastic time. There's plenty of smiles throughout the scene, with both Marcus and Marie both looking like they just want to have fun and please each other. The anal comes into the scene quite nicely, and I love how they worked the toys in to help it out. This is a very nice opening scene.

Scene 2 – Dana DeArmond, Mika Tan, and Kurt Lockwood

After talking about Kurt, along with him saying how he considers himself the nicest guy in the room, Dana heads in with a camera to capture Mika sucking his cock. After Mika gets him warmed up they get Dana to lie back so Kurt can fuck her missionary style as she captures her first POV. Jack comes in to work the camera as Mika moves in to fuck Kurt from behind as he fucks Dana. Kurt also fucks Dana doggie style, and soon after Mika disappears the scene ends without Kurt giving up a pop.

This is a pretty good scene. There's very nice chemistry between Kurt and Dana, and Mika nicely works in and out of the scene too. The main problem here is the camera work, as a good portion of the action is very dark and fairly hard to see. There are some good shots, but much of the scene left me feeling like I was missing something. The pop was definitely one of those things, and did hold the scene back.

Scene 3 – Dana DeArmond, Mika Tan, and Jack Lawrence

After Dana and Mika check out a few toys in the house, they head by the pool to play with them as Kurt watches with the camera. They kiss a bit before Jack decides to join the girls with Dana letting them know that she wants to be punished. Jack and Mika work her over from behind with Jack making sure to give her ass a little tongue attention with Mika helping to play with her as well as squatting over Dana's face to get her twat tongued. Jack leaves a plug in Dana's ass he he starts fucking her with Mika making sure to help with a few lustful sucks of his cock. They move around for Jack to fuck Dana in a missionary and cowgirl with Mika continuing to offer a little help and to slap Dana's tits before Jack pulls Mika in to fuck her missionary style. She gets up to ride him cowgirl style before moving up to let Jack eat her pussy as she sucks his cock while Dana puts on a strap-on to have Mika suck as well. Jack goes back to fucking Mika missionary style and sucks her toes while Dana fucks her face before they move the futon to the shade for Mika to ride Dana cowgirl style while Jack fucks her ass at the same time. Mika turns around so they can double stuff her cowgirl style as well before working on Dana with a toy as Jack continues to fuck her ass from behind. Jack lets Dana get a little missionary action as well as some doggie fucking as Mika helps out orally from below. Finally, he pops on Dana's tongue with a blast going over to hit Mika as well. Mika comes in to share the pop before the girls share a bit of a kiss cleaning him up.

This is a very fun scene. There's great chemistry all around with the girls really getting into it. Jack also helps the scene out by having a good hard cock and coming off like a completely normal guy, which is a nice change from some of the other porn guys out there. I love the toy in Dana's ass to start things out as well as her putting on the strap-on to help DP Mika. This is a very nice scene with a great natural feel.

Scene 4 – Mika Tan, Taryn Thomas, and Kurt Lockwood

After talking about fucking guys in the ass, Mika moves in to start sucking Kurt's cock. They talk a little about what he likes in a blowjob before Mika takes him down her throat a few times as she fluffs him in preparation for his upcoming scene. Mika lays back to let Kurt fuck her missionary style before he moves on to take on Taryn. She also starts out sucking his cock before letting Kurt tongue her ass while fingering her pussy. She lays back to let him fuck her missionary style before he moves around to spoon her. They get in a bit of sixty-nining before Taryn drives her tongue up Kurt's willing ass and rides him cowgirl style. He gives her a little more oral attention before pile driving her pussy, and then finishes things up giving her a good facial.

This is another nicely done scene. I love Mika's fluffing to start the scene off, and there's great chemistry throughout the entire scene no matter who Kurt's with. The scene is a bit on the dark side, but there's just enough for you to see what's going on. If there's a complaint about this scene, it's that it didn't last longer as it could have went on quite a bit longer without losing anything. This is a pretty hot scene.

Scene 5 – Dana DeArmond, Marie Luv, Mika Tan, Jack Lawrence, and Mr. Marcus

As Marcus talks with Tristan, Dana goes to work sucking his cock. He doesn't pop, and the scene moves on with another interracial coupling with Jack eating Marie's ass. They move to the bed, where Mika takes over for Jack tonguing and fingering Marie's pussy as Marcus takes over with the camera. Jack moves back to fuck Mika doggie style a bit before moving up to fuck Marie missionary style while Mika moves over to suck Marcus. Marcus rewards her with a missionary fuck before the scene cuts off.

This is an okay scene that should have been so much more. You can hear great chemistry all around here, but the entire scene looks to be lit by about three candles. You can barely see a thing throughout this scene, which really leaves me ticked off here. I'm not sure if there's more positions or a pop shot or anything else. Later you learn that they ran out of tape and lost the pop. This should have been a great scene, and instead barely makes it to the just okay level. If only the video camera would have had a night mode on it or if somebody knew how to use it.

Scene 6 – Mika Tan, Taryn Thomas, and Kurt Lockwood

After a few shots of people getting it on in the morning, including Mika giving Kurt a quick blowjob and cowgirl ride, they get it on again by the couch. They give each other a little oral attention before Kurt fucks her missionary style and spoons her. Mika gets on all fours so they can fuck her holes with toys before he fucks her ass while running a toy in and out of her pussy from behind. Kurt backs off when Taryn arrives so she can suck his cock, leaving Mika to put on her strap-on. Mika works on Kurt's ass with her tongue and fingers as he and Taryn sixty-nine before coming up to fuck him missionary style. Mika also fucks him from behind as he fucks Taryn missionary style and sixty-nines her a bit more. Kurt also gets between them all as they spoon before stroking himself into the air and onto Mika's tits as she fucks him missionary style. Finally, Taryn moves in to lick up some of the cum.

This is a darn hot scene. There's great chemistry all around, with Mika really driving the scene. She looks like she's having such a great time with her strap-on, and I love how she seems to be into everything in the scene. Taryn also adds nicely into the scene and provides a nice base for the scene while Kurt does a nice job all around. This is a great scene.

Scene 7 – Dana DeArmond and Jack Lawrence

Dana lies back on a bed and lets Jack eat her pussy through her pantyhose to start out the penultimate scene. He rips it open to get at her pussy better and completely devours it until he gets Dana to have a very nice looking orgasm.

This is a very fun scene. It's great to see an oral scene that revolves around the girl being pleasured than the guy, and Jack seems like a perfect guy to do it. He really gets into it and Dana looks like she's having a great time and really gets into it. This is a hot oral scene that worked very nicely.

Scene 8 – Dana DeArmond and Mr. Marcus, Marie Luv and Jack Lawrence

Jack starts out the final scene on a couch with Marie to take care of a little “unfinished business” that was started on one of Kurt's shoots while everybody waited around. They kiss passionately before he works a small vibe around her pussy and thighs while kissing her stomach and pussy. As he eats, Marcus and Dana arrive and strip down and get right to fucking doggie style while Jack starts to take Marie missionary style on the couch while also mixing in a little toy play. Jack moves on to pile drive Marie while Dana bounces on Marcus reverse cowgirl style. They each get in some more doggie fucking as well as a little more toy play between Jack and Marie while Marcus gets in a little anal finger play with Dana before fucking her ass doggie and missionary style. Marcus lets Dana have a very nice facial before Jack works Marie through a few positions while playing with the toys and lets her have a facial as well.

This is a pretty hot scene. There's great chemistry in both groups, and I love how much ass and toy play is mixed in throughout the movie. At the same time, the two couples fight a little which I think is due to their not being enough cameras to capture all the action. It feels like there's two camera people at the most and they're trying to capture everything without being able to. This is a hot scene that felt like it needed more crew to really capture.

Chemistry is a very nicely different porno. It has a simple feel to it, but that simple feel is just what makes it work. Just like reality shows are supposed to do, it does a great job of showing people as they supposedly are, and here it focuses nicely on the sexual side. There's plenty of personality from the stars, and you get to see them have sex like they supposedly want to rather than how the director wants to see it done. It's a great idea, and it works very well throughout the entire movie. I really like how Tristan lets the cast work the camera as well as the crew including letting you know who's working it and what they want to see. The “confessionals” were also a very nice touch to break up the scenes and really did a great job making the porn stars feel like real people (gasp!). The only problem with the movie is some of the little details. The camera work is good for the most part, but there are a couple of the scenes which are extremely dark and barely watchable. The editing is also a little choppy at times. I don't know if the cast took a few breaks while fucking, but if so it would have been really cool to see this as well rather than whittling the sex down to the good parts. That said, those two complaints and pretty minor complaints as the organic feel of the movie helps past those complaints very well. Chemistry is about just that, and shows that Tristan Taormino needs to spend a bit more time behind the camera.

The Extra Stuff

A second DVD is devoted entirely to extras, with almost all of the DVD being presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. Trailers are included for Chemistry 2, Dinner Party, After Party, Flasher, and Sunny & Cher. Five bonus sex scenes are included, all of which are in non-anamorphic widescreen and look like they're had the aspect ratio messed with a bit. There's also plenty of photo galleries, extra footage, behind the scenes, and commercials.

Several slide shows are included. The main photo gallery lasts a little over six and a half minutes while the behind the scenes gallery lasts a little over three and a half minutes with about a half second per pretty good looking snapshot in each case. There's also a photo gallery of The Women of Chemistry that lasts four and a half minutes with the same half second per good looking snapshot. It's a nice collection of photos, but they move so fast that I wish it was slowed down to about a quarter the pace even if it would mean throwing out a quarter of the photos.

The behind the scenes featurette lasts a little over a half hour. After starting out with the group introducing themselves, Taryn heads into the bathroom to “prepare herself”. Dana talks about sex a bit after taking on Marcus before moving around the set a bit. Mika has a few words about the the shoot next before joining Kurt and Taryn in the bed for a little more verbal fooling around. Jack shares a pornstar secret for great pops before Mika and Dana join him and try it. There's also a couple comments from Taryn and a little enema action. This is a very nice behind the scenes featurette. You get plenty of chemistry from the cast, a little better glimpse at things in the house, and a few laughs too. If you enjoyed the movie, make sure to check out the behind the scenes featurette.

“Confession Segments” are included from the cast lasting a total of about twenty four minutes. The segments are nicely broken up by person and last between just over a minute and around six and a half minutes. They segments are larger portions of the confessionals in the movie. Some are interesting and some are laugh out loud funny, such as Kurt talking about the misconception of him being an egotistical jackass. There's even a couple minutes from Tristan talking about some of shooting the movie, which was a great addition. This is a very nice extra that added to the overall package very well.

Bonus Scene 1 – Marie Luv, Jack Lawrence, and Kurt Lockwood

Marie gets between Jack and Kurt for a little suck and fuck for the first scene as Dana watches. She kneels in a chair and sucks Jack as Kurt, who somehow was forced into wearing a shirt, fucks her from behind. Jack dangerously turns his backside to Kurt to eat her pussy before fucking her missionary style in the chair as Kurt and Dana leave. Finally they head inside after being summoned.

This is a pretty good little bonus. It's short but sweet, and does a great job of showing a little more of the chemistry between Marie and Jack. Although on its own it wouldn't mean much, it does work well for adding to the movie like this. This is a nice little bonus.

Bonus Scene 2 – Dana DeArmond and Mr. Marcus

After and while Marcus answers a few questions, Dana goes to work mouthing his manhood. She gives him a little stroking as she sucks him and even lets him guide her head. Dana nicely takes his cues, and gives him a nice sloppy hummer that sadly never ends up in a nice creamy pop.

This is a very nice oral scene. Dana and Marcus both get into it very well, and both look to be having a lot of fun. At about seven minutes it's a nice length for the scene, and I couldn't help but wish that it would have lasted longer with how well it worked here. This is a very enjoyable scene.

Bonus Scene 3 – Marie Luv and Kurt Lockwood

Marie's pool cleaning gets interrupted by Kurt, who kisses her from behind before fucking her from behind. They move to a chair so Marie can lie back as he fucks her before sitting up to suck his cock. Marie rides him reverse cowgirl style before letting him fuck her from behind again, and then exchanges oral favors with him before letting him fuck her ass from behind. Finally, Kurt lets Marie have a nice pop after stopping to ask about whether he should pop or not.

This is a pretty good scene. It's a bit choppy, but with Marie taking it up the ass it's hard to really come down on the scene much. It comes off a bit of a clusterfuck with the cast and crew not seeming like they know whether it's to be just fun sex or a full on scene, and that interferes with some of what seems like it should be the basic idea behind the movie. If this is about the cast controlling the action, why is the crew determining if Kurt should pop or not? This scene kills some of the fantasy of the movie.

Bonus Scene 4 – Mika Tan, Taryn Thomas, and Kurt Lockwood; Dana DeArmond, Mika Tan, and Jack Lawrence

When Tristan checks on Taryn in the bathroom to see if she knows where Kurt is, she finds out that Kurt is busy fucking her missionary style. If that isn't enough. Mika's also there who eats Kurt's ass from behind before moving in to lick Taryn's pussy as Kurt continues to fuck her. When they head outside later they finds Mika jumping in the pool with Jack and Dana. They spread the oral love a little more and even try for an underwater blowjob. This is a nice bit of extra footage, but not quite what I'd call a bonus scene.

Bonus Scene 5 – Dana DeArmond, Marie Luv, Taryn Thomas, Jack Lawrence, Kurt Lockwood, and Mr. Marcus

The final segment is about four minutes of the cast playing. As Kurt fucks Mika missionary style, Jack fucks Dana and she sucks Marcus's cock while Marie watches. Taryn and Kurt don't stick around long and start to get dressed while the guys trade places with Dana. Jack moves on soon after so Marcus can fuck Dana missionary style

I'm not sure why this segment was separate from the last two other than Vivid seeming to need five bonus segments on every one of their releases. It's pretty short and doesn't really amount to anything, and would seem to fit right in with the fourth bonus scene. The cast gets into it pretty good, but it's short and limited enough that it just didn't grab me at all.

The Down -n- Dirty Sex Stuff

Themes: Straight, toys, anal, DP, ass to mouth, group, balling, interracial, oral, and rimming (male > female and female > male)

Raincoat Factor: High

Condom Usage: None

The Bottom Line:

Currently, many of Vivid's DVDs can be found online for between about $17 and $30 with many stores offering them in the low twenties. If you want a different type of porno, this one may be just what you need. The sex is hot and has a wonderfully natural feel. The technical aspects are very nicely done for the most part, but the crew camera work can sometimes hold it back. There's also some nice effort put into the extras to nicely round out this DVD release. This is a very impressive release.

Note to Vivid: I hope you paid Kurt Lockwood enough that he can afford a shirt.

If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me .

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