Touches You

From my favorite movies..

A lot of fun.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

This film is a warm, witty comedy that involves a clash of two cultures, just as "Pretty Woman" was. In "Pretty Woman" it was streetwalker and super-rich culture that clashed. In this it is Personal/artschool filmmaking and porno ("That's passe, call it adult"] filmmaking. The films also match in having beautiful, bright, warm, young blonde actresses in the lead. There is also the Gary Marshall connection. Gary Marshall is the narrator/director of "Pretty Woman" and he is in the movie "Finding Bliss" and the catalyst in a way for everything that happens.Unfortunately, while Pretty Woman made zillions of dollars, "Finding Bliss" only made two dollars. This is unfortunate, because I think anybody who like "Pretty Woman" would enjoy "Finding Bliss" While the film is sometimes formulaic in the romantic comedy mode, there are some strikingly original scenes. The scenes of Sobieski getting turned on by the pornography that she's editing is genuinely erotic and striking. It dances softly around the lines separating mass market and porn films.I watched Julie Davis' "Amy's O" and also found it a charming comedy dealing with sex. She is especially brilliant at directing women. Besides a great performance from Sobrieski (which one always expects), Kristen Johnson and Denise Richards also give wonderfully comic and sweet performances.One may criticize the film for having a naive or romantic notion of pornographic/adult film-making. In a sense, rather than being realistic, this film could be considered more of 1950's movie fantasy in which virginal Doris Day gets turned on, rips off her pajamas, beds Rock Hudson, yet still manages to get married and live happily ever after.Does every film about the pornography movie industry need to be a moral lesson on the terrible abuse that often goes on in that industry. Perhaps from a moralist point of view it does.However, we should consider this film does give a utopian vision of a gentler, more sophisticated porn industry that cares about its performers and especially women. Before condemning it, please consider that "Pretty Woman" also did not show the uglier side of prostitution. If you have protests about the liberal morality of "Finding Bliss," you should have the same protests with "Pretty Woman."

Leelee Sobieski's face projects a strange beauty. It's practically a flat plane with two tiny lips above the chin. Her nose isn't prominent but it seems very long. It goes on forever, an Afghanistan war of a nose. Her eyes are set too close together but they're magnetic. They look capable of seeing through things, like an X-ray device. She had an admirable figure too in "Eyes Wide Shut." But this material is autobiographical and, though cute, will probably find a more appreciative audience among women than among men. I'm not being sexist about this. Psychological studies have been done that show a difference between the things that men and women find funny, and this movie, like "Sex And The City," ought to appeal to females.The story itself, no doubt covered elsewhere, has Sobieski as a recent graduate of film school who can only find work as an editor for what the handsome young producer calls "adult entertainment." She has to learn what a "gaper" is. (It's pretty disgusting, if you ask me.) And it's amusing when she's advised to learn the tricks of the trade and snaps back, "Like what? How to get somebody's ass print off your face?" There aren't really enough of those jabs and many of the funny situations depend on our ability to identify with a nice innocent Jewish girl in an absurdly filthy business full of cheerful cynics.All is not lost however. Sobieski is clever enough to borrow the one-room studio's equipment to shoot her own film, though she must hock her grandmother's engagement ring to raise the money to buy the raw stock.And let's not forget that handsome young producer. Aesthetically, he may currently be a ditch digger but he has a golden award for an art film he recently produced. That boy has talent, even if it doesn't run along medical lines. Is that the scent of orange blossoms in the air?

This was a surprising eye opener for being an independent film yet it was one of the funniest that I've seen in a long time. One of the best surprises of all was the return of a fantastic familiar face! The humor comes from the best place of all, the underbelly of adult entertainment, which has seen it's share of jokes. However, the sense of humor along with the well hidden, good nature behind a lot of the characters makes for a fantastic film with a great twist! Quite refreshing and leaves you with happy feelings. Not necessarily a "chick flick" or even a "tit flick" yet drew in attention without having to be nasty about it! I would say this film is very under-rated and VERY well rounded and would also say that this movie is certainly not for kids.

I loved this film!!! The acting and directing were wonderful, especially for an independent film. The story has a heart,good values and lots of fun to watch!!! LeeLee Sobieski was terrific, she truly made me root for her! Matt Davis, Donna Marie Recco and Jamie Kennedy are true professionals- very good acting by all!!! It must have been difficult to make a film about the porn industry, while keeping it semi-clean, and still making it funny, yet showing the deep emotions of the characters. This film succeeded in achieving this goal.This film made me see the porn actors from a different perspective. Hope that this director makes more films. This is much better than many of the huge budget films out there now!!!