The evil and manipulative Ellen (buxom blonde bombshell Rene Howard) arrives in town and starts seducing the various female friends of her repressed cousin Pam (slinky number Susan Thomas). Meanwhile, Pam's more bold gal pal Wendy (slim and comely brunette Betty Whitman) is having an affair with married building contractor Robb (stolid Chuck Trainor, the future husband and manager of 70's porn sensation Marilyn Chambers). Everything comes to a head when Ellen organizes a ladies only party which culminates into one big lesbian orgy. Writer/director Joe Sarno astutely captures the catty and chatty nature of female relationships while exploring his familiar themes of infidelity, forbidden lust, and pent-up passions. Alas, the acting comes across as unusually flat for a Sarno picture. Luckily, the women are extremely good looking and aren't the least bit bashful about baring their yummy bodies with pleasing frequency: Thomas, Howard, Whitman, attractive Barbara Lance, and sultry Jean Muniz are all super easy on the eyes. Moreover, the sex scenes are quite hot and fairly explicit, with all the girl-on-girl make-out sessions in particular registering as incredibly scorching stuff. Steve Silverman's crisp black and white cinematography boasts a few impressive visual flourishes. Michael Colicchio's jaunty'n'jazzy organ-pumping score does the get-down groovy trick. A pretty solid and satisfying soft-core outing.
Review of The Layout
