Mass Appeal (Odyssey) Review

The First Word: Bisexual vids aren't my calling, but this title has gotten a lot of praise as one of the better specimens of the genre.  Certainly having major stars like Ken Ryker, Chloe, and Sky performing is different than most bi movies and the washed up talent that usually surfaces in them.  Is this really a movie that can appeal to straight, gay, and bi persuasions?

What's It About?:  The plot is razor thin, as you'd probably expect from a bisexual title.  It begins with Sky and Jon Eric picking up Ken Ryker in their limo.  Ken is supposed to be some sort of military type who's hitchhiking.  It takes less than a minute of screen time to establish that they want to "have some fun," and for the blowjob action to begin, first with Sky sucking Ken and then Ken blowing Jon's somewhat hard cock.  Aside from some finger fucking of Sky's pussy, there's no other penetration in the first scene, which ends with all three masturbating to orgasm.

Once they arrive, the chauffeur, T.J. Cummings (I suppose "twink" is a proper definition for him) shows Ken to the shower to clean up.  T.J. ends up spying on Ken from the doorway, watching him spray himself down with the shower head in a setup deserving of a Playgirl shoot.   Then, T.J., suddenly stark naked, walks over to the glass shower wall, and the two begin making out, separated by the glass.  It reminds me a lot of the scene with Sean Michaels in Ultimate's The Dinner Party--a very erotic setup.

Meanwhile, out by the pool, Jon is in a threeway (of sorts) with adult starlets of the past, T.J. Hart and Lauren Montgomery.  I say "of sorts," because throughout this scene, it's really boy-girl between T.J. and Jon and girl-girl with Lauren and T.J.  Anyway, it looks like the straight side is more enjoyable to Jon, since he's a lot harder with T.J.'s enthusiastic BJ than Ken's in the previous scene.

From here begins a dizzying series of back-and-forth cuts between the shower and the pool.  It's an editing job worthy of Wimbleton.  For simplicity, I'll focus on one scene at a time, even though they are cut together.  Anyhow, back in the shower, the action continues with Ken receiving some unenthusiastic head.  It gets better though, as it soon turns to some spread-butt anal fingering.  Not bad, except for T.J. Cumming's ass zits.  Just when it looks like it's going to be a gay scene only, Sky walks in and joins the party.  This threesome turns out to be one of the best scenes in the movie, with about every bisexual act you can think of, including rimming, a double blowjob, and various 69/fucking positions.  The scene ends with Ken climaxing strongly on Sky's back and T.J. shooting an equally large load as he jerks off.

The pool scene action is mostly seeing Jon fuck T.J. Hart doggie style while Lauren either licks T.J. or gets licked by T.J.   It's not an impressive scene and is marred by butt pimples and some unedited screen direction ("Let's see your eyes, dear.").  The ending is the best part of the scene as Jon masturbates to a huge climax on the girls' body and tits.

There's a break in the hardcore for an artsy montage of the group having sex in different parts of the house in various combinations.  Afterward, they are all having dinner as a group and saying farewell to Ken, who has to return to base.  Jon suggests that Ken should bring along a friend next time, and of course, Ken finds a weightlifting buddy (Rick Chase) to bring back.

So Rick comes to the house of free love and goes up to the bathroom, where Chloe and T.J. Cummings are playing in the tub.  While Chloe plays with T.J.'s cock with her feet, Rick undresses and begins to masturbate while watching them.  After a bit of sucking on a double dildo, Chloe and T.J. fuck each other with it while sloshing in the tub.  After she cums, she suggests they go downstairs.  It's funny to see Chloe lead the guys into the kitchen by their dicks before having them get on their hands and knees on the kitchen island.  Some serious anal play begins after that--first fingering, then Chloe licking their asses, and finally with Rick and T.J. using the double dildo while a dirty-mouthed Chloe directs the action. The scene rounds out with some strap-on sucking, a "very full" DPP, and two more big loads.

The movie's last scene features a bedroom scene with Ken and Jon, and later by T.J. Hart who joins in.  There are a couple of nice angles in this scene, but overall, it's a forgettable matchup.  And true to form for the gay and bi titles I've seen, the plot ending is pretty lame...but then again, there isn't much of a plot--or acting skills either.

What I liked:  Good looking guys:  It's nice to see a bi movie without scrawny guys with small dicks.  It seems like bi porn is where the washed up guys end up, not just the girls--something of an adult Purgatory.  While Jon Eric and Rick Chase may not make the 100 most beautiful people list, they are okay.  And Ken Ryker is definitely one of the better looking guys in porn--gay or straight.

Chloe:  If anyone was meant to be "all-sexual" as the movie's tagline suggests, it's Chloe.  She actually looks like she gets off on seeing guys play with each other.  She's got the same nasty intensity in Mass Appeal as she does in her straight work.  And if you want to see her with two big ones in her pussy, this is your chance.

What I didn't like: Heavy gay emphasis:  I know I'm expecting too much, but I hate how bi titles seem to be broken down into 90% guy-guy and 10% everything else.  I suppose that's because bi videos are directed by gay directors, produced by gay production companies, and performed by gay talent.  This title suffers because it uses the women as nothing more than token females so it can be called considered bisexual.  Several of the scenes were 100% gay with a woman joining at the end.   I would enjoy bi movies more if there was a little more balance with mostly het or lesbian material and not just a bunch of gay actors who might fuck a pussy once and a while.

Jacking off to cum:  It's bad enough that this happens as much as it does in straight porn, but every single cumshot in Mass Appeal was brought about by the actors' own hands...often with the other partners at a distance.  I don't know whether there is some intentional reason for screwing each other silly but then finishing off solo or whether that's the only way they can orgasm.  In either case, it looks really odd, even though all of the cumshots have impressive volume.

DVD Extras:  Aside from the two trailers for gay titles and around 30 photos, the main supplement on this DVD is an 11-minute interview reel with Jon Eric and T.J. Hart.  The questions and answers are utterly predictable, and the interviewer's lisp is incredibly distracting.  I wanted to hear from Ken, Sky, or Chloe, not from Jon or T.J. Hart!

A/V Quality:  Very nice--both the audio and the video are clean and clear.  The production sound is a bit weak at times (especially during what little dialogue there is).  I don't care for the smooth jazz instrumental track, but I'll have to admit that it's a lot better than the typical porn soundtrack.  On the video side, there's scarcely a hint of compression artifacts, tape dropouts, or any common video problems.  

The Last Word:  While Mass Appeal has considerably more production value and a better cast than just about every bisexual feature to date, it's not award-winning material.  Sure, there are some hot bits here and there, but the overall heat is not consistent.  The plot and acting, such as they are, are laughable.  But it's a decent title for those who are bi-curious or want to see the "other side" without stepping completely out of their boxes.  Recommended if you like bi action or if you are not completely freaked out about the idea.

- Saki (saki@my.adultdvdtalk.com)