Merchants of Venus (1998)

Director:

Len Richmond

Writer:

Len Richmond (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Every dream has its price.

Plot:

A Russian immigrant finds himself in bed with the mob after buying a sexual novelties shop.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Sex Toy | Mafia | Sex | Porno Movie

Cast

Michael York	...	Alex Jakoff
Prunella Gee	...	Catherine Lucky McKay
Nancy Fish	...	Eppy
Beverly D'Angelo	...	Mistress Cody
Brian Cox	...	Uncle Vladimir
Troy Donahue	...	FBI Agent
Michael J. Pollard	...	The Senator
Arthur Hiller	...	Reverend Phillips
Stephen Nichols	...	The Stud
Andy Bell	...	Porno Director
Claire Jacobs	...	Katrina (as Claire Mari Jacobs)
Alan Feinstein	...	Andre
Kay Parker	...	Kay Parker
Sandra Margot	...	Porno Actress #1 (as Tyffany Million)
Tia	...	Porno Actress #2

Also Known As:

A Dirty Little Business (USA) (MIFED title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content including nudity and dialogue.

Runtime:

78 min | UK:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Amazing Pictures

A Valentine to Erasure Fans

After knowing about this movie (at one point called "Good Vibrations") for about five years, I've just now finally been able to see it! I guess it's just recently been made available on Region 2 DVD after spending all this time on a shelf after being shown at a couple of film festivals.

I'd known about it for so long because of its connection to my favorite band Erasure. The band's keyboardist Vince Clarke scored the film and the band's singer Andy Bell made a brief appearance as a porn director. This is what initially triggered my interest, but it also sounded like it'd be a fun, cheeky romp of a comedy.

Alas, it was more "Could have been..." than "was." The idea of a sweet and naive Russian immigrant coming to America with a big dream only to land a job at a sex-toy factory and fall in love with a fading porn star was a winning idea for an off-beat romantic comedy. There are some great moments (certain "toys" being used as blunt weapons, the speech impediment of another fading porn star, and of course, Andy Bell's little checklist of shots he needs for his pornographic masterpiece). But as a whole, the film seems forced and hurried (heck, it's only 74 minutes long!). The main romantic plot unfolds too quickly to really be believable. And you really have to be on your toes to catch the reasoning behind the whole Russian mafia and FBI events that occur in the last act.

This film (titled "A Dirty Little Business" on my copy) seems like it was hastily thrown together, as if the writer/director gave up halfway through editing and said "Screw it, let's just release it as is." Had he and the other filmmakers taken more time to craft it and flesh it out, it could have been great. But I'm afraid the final result is simply mediocre.

But for Erasure fans, it's actually a nice little treat. The familiar trademark Clarke synthesizer beats, squiggles, chirps, and warm orchestrations are heard throughout the entire film, and there's even a bonus alternate version of a relatively recent Erasure track at the end credits. And it's an absolute riot for hardcore fans to see Andy Bell playing the porno director. There's just something very appropriate and right about it. Erasure and a comedy about the sex industry is indeed a perfect match. But I'm afraid if you're not an Erasure fan, you won't have as much fun with this one. It really was a winning idea, and I think it could have been done better had the filmmakers given it more of their time and attention.