Cupid's Arrow (Wicked) Review

Reviewed by sweet dave  on  9/6/2003

One of the new rages (is it really that new?) in late-night syndicated television is the various reality dating shows (Ie. Blind Date, Change of Heart, etc), and you know, it wouldn't be long before the porn world took the idea and made it better. After all, what do you really want to see on those dating shows? What happens after the date, of course. On Blind Date, it's nothing but a door slammed on the camera. In Cupid's Arrow, there's no holding back, even if the film's quality diminishes at that point.

Cupid's Arrow, the film's fake television show, is hosted by perhaps the most humorous and intelligent man in the adult industry today, Jonathan Morgan, who also has the fortune of being the film's director. Morgan is by far the best thing in the film, opening each scene with the quirky sense of humor that makes his films so enjoyable to watch.

Unfortunately, the great flaw in this film is the fact that the one reason you'll watch this film, instead of the television, the sex, is rather weak, even for a couples film. Covergirl Sydney Steele is in a pair of scenes, and while Sydney can often steal a movie that she's only partially a part of, her two sex performances, with Mark Davis and Randy Spears, are both very cold and mechanical. However, I'm not sure if it's her or the direction of the film since most of the other scenes are plagued by the same weakness. Aurora Snow, who plays a wicked little Russian minx wearing a pretty black wig, shows a little more enthusiasm in the massage parlor but still it feels cold. The only "good" performance is turned in by Nicole Sheridan, who has a blistering standing anal scene in a recording studio.

The coldness of the sex is truly disappointing because I enjoyed everything else about this film. There's even a somewhat interesting second-track commentary with Morgan and Steele, describing various elements of the film.

Cupid's Arrow is a film I wanted to like quite a bit, especially as Morgan's job as a television host is so endearing. I can imagine that the softcore version of the film must be very good, considering how sublime most softcore scenes are. However, as a XXX hardcore adult film, Cupid's Arrow, while enjoyable, misses the mark of being a great film.