Marie And Jack: A Hardcore Love Story Review

Reviewed by Zoid  on  10/9/2004

Having heard a lot of good things about «Marie and Jack» I was eager to check it out for myself. Thanks to one generous person it was made possible. The fact that this title is probably aimed at couples didn't discourage me, but beware that my judgement may be clouded by extended bachelor existance. Hehe!

Technical

Runtime: 28 mins.
Region: 0
Menu: As simple as it can be

Feature

There are several reviews here at ADT where you can find detailed description of what precisely is going on during the film, so I don't think it will be necessary for me to go into specific details for the fifth time. Suffice to say, we meet two adorable people — Marie and Jack — who are obviously in love and who discuss several aspects of their sexual life, with particular focus on the differences between sex in the real life and sex in the adult entertainment (where they both work). At the end of this interview, they engage in tender love making which at some points is accompanied by their commentary.

Extras: There are no Extras. Special features consist of an option to play the uninterrupted sex scene and switch between two angles.

Thoughts

The general idea behind this film is to show real sex featuring real people. Honorable cause considering that conventional porn, especially nowadays, is unrealistic in a sense that it doesn't show sex in the way it's being practiced by "normal" people. Porn is an illusion, and this film attempts to show the reality. We get to see true feelings and genuine chemistry between the two people. Whether the reality is better than an illusion is not for me to say, but it certainly feels refreshing simply because you don't get to see it very often.

I liked the concept of the film and particularly the warmth it projected. The imagery is very erotic, and the realism of the film is so strong that at times, you almost feel like a voyeur who's invading these people's privacy. They don't have sex for you (the viewer), they have fun together for themselves. The sexual interaction between Marie and Jack is very sensual, very genuine, and presented from very intimate point of view. At the same time, it's also too warm and too ... cute and sweet. You can almost visualize kittens, flying cupids and butterflies, etc. This, however, doesn't make the video bad, only less "pornographic", if you know what I mean. You just want to watch it and think happy thoughts, but you don't really want to get off to it. This is also partially due to the fact that there is this reddish-pinkish ambient lighting present in the room, as if you're watching through the rose-colored glasses. Coincidence? In addition to that, the main feature is presented in a documentary style. Marie and Jack talk about their relationship and sex. The viewer gets to know their characters and this all makes the whole thing kind of personal.

The hardcore part was shot using two cameras simultaneously. You get the option to play the sequence and switch freely between two angles which is a nice touch from Comstock. I only wish I had the third option to play the hardcore scene without the need to push buttons and without the comments, just pure director's cut or something. The camera work generally makes sense given the nature of the action. A lot of focus was placed on the faces, so we can fully enjoy colorful array of emotions Marie and Jack were experiencing. Quite frequently, however, the camera stays too close to the bodies, and that feels a bit claustrophobic. I was seriously missing full body shots from some distance. But..

I honestly don't remember seeing anything like this before, so what Comstock Films has produced is quite unique in that sense, and therefore, deserves certain recognition and scores extra point in my book. This film is definitely recommended for couples to watch in order to get in the mood.. hehe, or to someone who wants proof that porn people don't always have anal sex in their personal life. Sadly, I can't ignore the fact the main feature is simply too short for a DVD. Certainly, quality outweighs quantity, but still: 28 minutes of total runtime with just 16 minutes of sex is just not enough, in my humble opinion. That being said, I enjoyed this movie a lot because it appealed to my higher senses, and was just damn beautiful to watch. On the other hand, I don't think it was such a good idea to watch it alone as I've experienced strange urges to cuddle someone and since there was no one around, well... *sigh*.. I need a hug.

What I liked:

• Adorable cast
• Excellent, natural chemistry (which of course could be expected)
• Making luuuuv and not just fucking each other senseless
• Multi-angle interactivity

What I didn't like:

• Way..way too short for a DVD
• Camera is too close too often, for my taste
• Police sirens (you do hear some in the background during the sex)

Conclusion

Couples and people who enjoy watching real, passionate and tender sex — watch it. Die-hard raincoaters — avoid... or better yet, get married and then watch it. Best o' luck to Tony Comstock with his next project.

-Zoid (for questions and comments: raven9272@yahoo.com)