Nothing to Hide (Cal Vista) Review

Reviewed by T0MBOne  on  3/29/2009

Anthony Spinelli's NOTHING TO HIDE (1981, Cal Vista) won 9 Erotica Awards including Best Picture and numerous other "Best of the Year" awards. VCX has re-released NOTHING TO HIDE in standard frame format in their Cal Vista Classics DVD series, which debuted in 2008. It's a terrific buddy picture with heart that incorporates a series of sex scenes that illustrate the two distinct personalities of the main male characters.

John Leslie stars as Jack, a ladies man who allows the slow witted, mentally-challenged Lennie (Richard Pacheco) to live with him in his small apartment. NOTHING TO HIDE rolls along as a sort of modern xxx OF MICE AND MEN as Jack saves Lennie from trouble in much the same way as George protects the man-child Lennie in the Steinbeck tale. Then, NOTHING TO HIDE takes an interesting turn as Lennie literally runs into Karen (Tigr) at the park and discovers she is a kindred spirit. While Lennie becomes more and more involved with Karen, Jack continues to whet his sexual appetite with a number of women. Soon, Jack realizes that he is, in a sense, losing his friend and takes out his anger and frustration during an afternoon quickie. Instead of sabotaging Lennie's relationship with Karen, Jack accepts the changes in his relationship with Lennie and shows up at their wedding to be Lennie's best-man.

Jack's free-wheeling sexual lifestyle allows director Spinelli to team-up John Leslie with a bevy of beautiful women: he fucks and titty-fucks the sexy and well-endowed Elizabeth Randolph in NOTHING TO HIDE's frantic opening moments---!!!! !/2, he sweet-talks Erica Boyer at the park, which leads to an oiled-up Erica arching her back for oral sex and mish fucking at her apartment---!!!!, he mish and doggy fucks the ravishing Raven Turner in his own bed while poor Lennie hears them from his scrunched-up position in the nearby bathroom's bathtub---!!!!, Jack's fender-bender with Misty Regan leads to upstairs tryst in her home with her hubby (supposedly) asleep nearby---!!! 1/2, Jack takes busty Holly Mc Call on an extended lunch break from her lunch truck job, screws her at her dumpy cluttered apartment and leaves her an unwanted surprise---!!! 1/2.

Lennie realizes that he is in love with Karen. Those two play on the playground, climb trees and frolic near the ocean until the duo finally make love at her brother's apartment in a tender scene where Lennie uses a condom. Richard Pacheco is fine in his only sex scene in NOTHING TO HIDE---!!! 1/2.

So, NOTHING TO HIDE (1981, Cal Vista) is rare film from the classic porn era that shows how a loving and caring friendship between two men changes when one man falls in love and decides to marry. Spinelli could have had Jack sabotage Lennie's relationship with Karen, which would have given NOTHING TO HIDE a cruel, cynical ending (a la Kate's fate in the finale of EASY) but Spinelli plays it hands-off when dealing with the relationship between the mentally challenged Lennie and Karen charaters. Instead, Jack simply realizes that his friend is leaving him and supports him in his decision. Thus, a sweet ending.

NOTHING TO HIDE boasts a great cast, solid acting by the two leads, wonderful cinematography by Jack Remy, a host of beautiful women in short and mostly sweet sex scenes, and tolerable music that sounds like the era. Final rating of !!!! outa !!!!!

Bonus features include trailers and bonus scenes from other Cal Vista Classics and a slide show.