Brilliant and touching

As Good As It Gets

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

"Virgin Territory" is a silly, lame and unfunny film, where the sexy women and their breasts are the only entertainment (at least for the male viewer). The plot is a complete mess with scenes without any explanation. For example, why is Elissa naked in a lake seducing the Russian count? Or when Pampinea felt in love with Lorenzo? There is no chemistry between them. The narrative is also boring. Why Tim Roth and Hayden Christensen (after performing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars) accepted to work in this film is the greatest question. My vote is five.Title (Brazil): "Território Virgem" ("Virgin Territory")

"Virgin Territory" stars Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton (don't laugh), in a rowdy medieval tale in the vein of Monty Python (though not as witty), Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and the Princess Bride. Of course, it begins with Christensen speaking with a believable British accent, which I personally feel he should adopt for all of his movie roles. He sounds more comfortable and realistic than he does using Northern American English. His accent has bothered me for years but strangely he didn't mangle the British one.Well, Virgin Territory surprised me. And I mean I am pleasantly surprised. The movie was filmed two or three years ago and was finally, very quietly released in March 2008 straight to DVD. Were the producers too embarrassed for a theatrical release? They needn't be. I've seen much much worse and for the record, Virgin Territory isn't horrible-bad, but intentionally bad since it's a parody and a sex comedy, its demographics clearly with teenage boys in mind. If any of these actors are Catholic they might be ex-communicated now, with all the sex with nuns, in twosomes and threesomes-- naked peeing cherubs and all.Aside from the questionable Mischa Barton, Virgin Territory manages a reputable cast in Tim Roth, Matthew Rhys and a handful of other actors some of you may recognize.I didn't think it was great, but think it deserved a little more than a straight to DVD release. Some obvious flaws? Mischa Barton's acting was absolutely abysmal. She had no chemistry with Hayden Christensen. The plot was aimless and probably should have been grosser. If you're going to do a dirty sex comedy, you need to bring it or the jokes fall flat.Anyway, it wasn't an entire waste of time. I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend it. Just for the giggles. It wasn't great. It wasn't completely horrible. You've seen worse, I'm sure of it. The costumes were nice, the director managed to make the period look real, despite an able Rupert Friend in cornrolls and bad guys in leather jackets designed by Roberto Cavalli.

Anybody who thought this was a soft core porn movie would be forgiven. The whole 'guy turns up at commune and gets laid half a dozen times'! What's that about, I ask? It's certainly not based on reality. That said the movie is not set in present times so perhaps we shouldn't judge the women within it on a modern standard, supposing nuns no longer put out for a good looking gardener. On that note probably best to stick to the guidance here, if parents are wondering, as it's bound to give us lads a false sense of hope at such a young age. It's not surprising given the directors talents! The movie is difficult to follow, with that results a surprising and interesting film. The actors are all well know teen actors, you will have seen them on the likes of Skins and OC, this is one of those movies that seems to be a summer break for actors, however they did not take a break in acting, if at times they seem a little hung-over, so to speak. There is also more than just a good cast here, there is a mix of nationalities, it varies from all over the world and this adds vastly to the period setting. There is a bit in the movie where the evil guy sees a musket for the first time, and that is a cool idea. What else could the evil baddie say to his minions other than "I want that get me it".Brilliant cameo from David Williams's (cart pusher) funniest moment of the whole movie. He is only in it for a short while at the beginning but its worth watching the movie for his part alone. It is important to say that id normally save my time for a movie that doesn't deserve its rating, this film is very luck to have a 5 and deserve it, you should watch it and see what you think.

I laughed (out loud) once. I hardly think that constitutes a 'comedy' for me.There are a few witty one-liners, and a touch of situational humor, but most of the humor is pretty stale and dry. I think they were trying for something along the lines of The Princess Bride, but missed the mark entirely.There were a few sword-fights, but that hardly supports an entire 'adventure', and the plot was utterly formulaic and you could see 10 minutes ahead of the film at any given point.As for the romance, well, the ONE romantic idea present in the film just wasn't enough to qualify it for a romance film either.My hat is off to anyone who can find an ounce of drama in this movie either...So, what is it? Something to pass the time if you literally have nothing else to do. As I mentioned before, I'd recommend watching the Princess Bride if you haven't, or watching it again, rather than watch this.I gave it three stars because the acting wasn't terrible, there were those witty one-liners, and I did manage to laugh once.