Jenna Jameson Is The Masseuse Review

Dir. Paul Thomas.
Duration. 95 mins. (approx)

Starring. Jenna Jameson, Justin Sterling, Savanna Samson, Wendy Divine, Evan Stone.

Please be aware that this review contains 'spoilers'.

The Masseuse, or to be entirely accurate, Jenna Jamson is The Massuese, is a high profile remake of Paul Thomas’ groundbreaking 1990 feature. It revolves around the relationship between Justin Sterling, a twenty-something virgin with a fondness for porn and tying himself up, and Jameson, a sympathetic masseuse. The two transgress the boundaries of professional etiquette on their first meeting when Jameson, seemingly touched by her client’s naivety, agrees to give him a handjob. Sterling, who shows no interest in the obvious attentions of his co-worker, Wendy Divine, is smitten and, on his next visit, prefers to wait for Jameson rather than take up the option of another masseuse. This time the exchange goes even further, as she agrees to remove her top and perform fellatio. She even goes so far as to take his phone number and agree to visit his apartment, albeit for a price. Once there, she consents to being elaborately bound and ravished.

As a film, this is less than perfect but it remains an outstanding example of high-end, couples friendly, plot-driven porn. The acting is credible throughout, and the development of the narrative is closer to that of a mainstream movie than most porn. There are extended sex scenes, notably the girl/girl between Jenna and Savanna, and a pointless coupling between Evan Stone and Wendy Divine, but the sex tends to feel more like a motivated set-piece than a market-driven necessity; the film does, after all, revolve around an escalating sexual relationship.

Considerable credit should go to Paul Thomas (et al) for several reasons: Firstly, the film is directed with an admirable combination of imagination and restraint. It boasts some clever editing - used most notably to evoke the disorientation and trauma Sterling suffers when interacting with women – and some nice tracking shots. It also refrains, for the most part, from protracted genital close-ups (frustrated physicians will be less than impressed). Secondly, the film dares to mix bondage and hardcore – extremely rare these days - on more than one occasion. Both Jameson and Samson are penetrated (by toy, penis and, in the case of the latter, strap-on) while thoroughly bound. These sequences are carefully staged, meticulously executed, and, whether you’re a fan of BDSM or not, the most memorable of the movie.

Again, it’s not perfect. The coupling of Stone and Divine, while it does serve some narrative purpose, is an overlong, standard porno ‘number’. It also feels like a regression from the original, which had the audacity to limit it’s sexual action to two characters. Another problem is that the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory. The relationship between the two leads, the dynamic for the whole movie, isn’t really resolved. Sterling, a socially awkward love struck male, simply walks away from a woman he seems to be obsessed with: possible, but unlikely.

Turning specifically to the disk, I have no particular complaints about the audiovisual qualities. The picture is a bit soft, and at times quite grainy (typical of most Vivid disks) but I don’t consider it a problem. The forced adverts that precede the film, on the other hand, are inexcusable. The main extra is an enjoyable ‘behind the scenes’ featurette running about 20 minutes. There’s also an audio commentary, which I haven’t listened to yet, and a number of more predictable extras – bonus rooms, positions rooms, etc.

In summation, while it’s not the best Paul Thomas movie I’ve seen, it’s certainly my favourite of Jenna’s. Highly recommended.

SDC