It is a performances centric movie

A different way of telling a story

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

As an obsessive voyeur, I've often wondered about the people involved in making porn movies. This movie satisfies at least some aspects of my wonder. So, for that I appreciate this movie. However, I wish it were much longer so it could be more in depth as many questions are left unanswered. My biggest complaint is the numerous long useless shots of traffic with the radio on. WTF? Who cares? According to the special features there were many hours of footage not included. So sad and annoying that time is utterly wasted with scenes of traffic. If anyone knows the director personally, please smack him for this. Thank you. In short, this is worth watching as it is interesting- especially if you like the stars.

The hardest part was watching porn actress Audrey Hollander as she's completely condescended by and subservient to her egotistical and trashy husband... I thought at first that maybe she was just less intellectual than I thought, but realized later that she may be on more drugs than they were showing. She looks and acts like a shell of a person and my heart really went out to her near the end, when she was feeling ill on set after using enemas for unnatural things and her so called "husband" (who speaks for and controls her like a pimp) tells her to just "shake it off" and have a beer because she's due for another scene shortly. Then when she does this very hard core scene and is choked greatly by a very large man, she sits there with her eyes closed looking like she's about to die from receiving the worst beating ever! So, so sad... When the credits roll and they recap where everyone is a year later, all they have to say about Audrey is; "Audrey is better...". If that isn't the ultimate and purest form of abuse by one's self and the one they call "husband" caught on film, I don't know what is. I still feel it has a double meaning, where the creators also meant it to mean; "Audrey is better... than her controlling, masochistic husband" or even "Audrey is better... than all of this." I dare anyone who watches porn to watch this movie and read the true stories on www.shelleylubben.com and not feel complete remorse for the emotionally and physically abused women in this industry. I am personally shocked and disgusted. What I've learned (or already knew): - no amount of money is worth seriously hurting yourself or others... - real love means not asking for anything in return... - if something seems off or odd, it is... - we all have the power to control our own lives and obtain what we wish for... - treat others with respect and you'll get so much more back in return...P.S. - My heart goes out to all the women in this industry and especially you, Audrey. If you ever read this, it would do you well to really consider and digest the thoughts and lessons learned above.

This is not the first documentary I have seen which sets out to demystify the porn business and show audiences the people and places behind the fantasy displayed by the products at the center of the bloated-cash-cow industry. However, I would say this is one of the best.I believe the mark of quality for any portrait of the adult entertainment industry which is trying to exist outside the realm of and classification as actual pornography is how un-erotic it comes across to the viewer. As a heterosexual male who in no way feels above being stimulated by the sort of visuals common to modern pornography (and portrayed, albeit mostly with tasteful obscurity, in this film), I am happy to report that "9 to 5..." did not stir up any sort of sensuality within me as I watched it. I liked the way the director would mostly set up the shots to avoid the harder-core facets of what he was filming, but would occasionally, throughout the film, allow certain things to go more noticed, still keeping them minimized and "non-pornographic" in their framing. There are things shown in this film which would never be allowed in an R-rated film, and would probably even be denied the courtesy of an NC-17 by the MPAA if it really came down to it, but the way they are portrayed is done in just the right way to prevent ones attention from being distracted (or diverted towards watching this DVD for "other purposes"). But, do beware... this is not the type of movie you want to watch with your uptight family, your child, or mixed company -- even though the explicit footage is not tasteless, it is there, so if real sex is not something you want to see in a film, avoid this or watch it with someone who can handle the fast-forward-button censorship for you.The directing, editing, and overall stylization of this film are very well done. I liked the "portraits" of the subjects. Otto and his wife and John Stagliano especially really had their souls (or lack thereof) shine through in these shots. I could imagine the director asking the subjects to stand there and look into the camera for an awkward minute or two, but these set-ups greatly contributed to the personalities portrayed.This film managed to remain entertaining, while avoiding titillation, for a solid 2 hours. The key asset to that is how light-handed the tone is. Nothing is played for laughs. Nothing is played for sympathy. Conversely, nothing is played to try and make us think these people's lives are better than we give them credit for. Everything that is funny in this movie, every opinion we might have about the subjects, whether they're secretly miserable or envious or whatever we might think while watching this movie, I have to believe, was in no way manufactured by the filmmaker, and I think that is paramount to a good documentary. We see how these people live and work -- nude bodies engaged in extreme sex acts are just like computers and telephones at any other job. But throughout the duration of the movie, I never felt as if anybody's opinion was being forced on me, or any sort of advocacy for or against pornography was shining through. Things were very neatly presented as they are, and I think whatever you take away from this movie (believing the porn business ruins people's lives, or believing it is "just a business we need in society," or whatever you might think) says more about what you already thought than what you saw in this movie.I find the behind-the-scenes reality of the porn business fascinating and watch/read just about all the material I find on the subject. The way this movie balanced rawness with tastefulness, and frankness with fantasy, really makes it stand out as an exemplary piece on the subject.

This film follows a group of adult industry types for about a year and most of them you ended up feeling sorry for. Even troopers such as Otto seem to be trying really hard to convince us that he is happy while his wife looks increasingly depressed throughout the film. While I was really looking forward to a documentary on the adult film industry, I felt this one did not measure up. In almost every case except for possibly Mark Spiegler, there were no happy endings. Everyone in the business did not truly seem happy with where they were and how their life ended up. Even Belladonna who seemed to love the industry and her role in it near the end of the film relents that she just wants to give it all up and find a beach somewhere. But then who does not no matter what their profession is? Sasha Grey wants us to believe she has herself together, but one has to figure her chances of becoming the next Jenna Jameson are slim to none. This film also pulls the fantasy rug out from under porn as well. Take for example the scene where Otto laments that he is covered in an abundance of lube and spunk. (He explains how the spunk gets in his hair). Talk about too much information. On the plus side, it was cool to see Nina Hartley and Sharon Mitchell again. Both seem to be very successful having moved on from porn.