Fleshdance (1985) User Reviews

Disappointing 'Flashdance' parody with a few good moments.

[Hermit C-2 · 7/10 · 6 November 1999]

The movie 'Flashdance' was certain to be used by adult film producers as a basis for parody and this is one of several videos that came out in its wake. Newcomer Shanna Evans stars as Jennifer, a young dance student who bicycles past a strip club every day on her way to the studio. She fantasizes about dancing and stripping onstage there, and when the club sponsors an amateur dance contest, she succumbs to the temptation.

Ms. Evans is very good looking and performs well enough. The film has some other fine female talent including the brunette bombshell Rachel Ashley and reliable Janey Robbins. Kimberly Carson is also on hand but not used very effectively. In fact, no one in this cast of well-knowns is put to their best use. Entirely too much time is spent on pointless dialog, especially during one interminable scene where the club's owners and employees plan for the upcoming dance contest. Less attention seems to have been given to the sex scenes than to the others, and that kind of priority is out of whack in a movie like this. The dance scenes are only passable, as well. There's some hot moments from time to time but given this cast I think the film should have been a lot better.

"Fleshdance" is great treasure from the golden age

[delphiaa · 7/10 · 29 June 2006]

Years after seeing "Fleshdance", it became clear that it was a takeoff of the successful mainstream movie called "Flashdance". The film was a novice and unknowing introduction to many of the industry's big names back in the 1980's: Ron Jeremy, Rachel Ashley, Herschel Savage, John Leslie and Janey Robbins. But most curious was Shanna Evans, the most shy, obscure and the only black woman(purposely it seems)among the main performers, who is given the starring role. According to the Adam Editor article posted by Luke Funk, Evans only did 3 films for Essex before leaving the industry. But IMDb and IAFD lists her last film from 1988, possibly scenes got released years after her departure.

The opening credits starts with Evans dancing provocatively in front a dance studio's mirrors. Shanna's plays Jennifer, a dancer who daydreams of dancing professionally at a popular club. She overcomes her shyness and talks to eventual boyfriend, Brad (john leslie), a friends with the club's owner, George (Herschel Savage). Ron Jeremy is the club's bartender. Savage has the first scene with Janey Robbins, one of his dancers who pleasures him in his office, before some reverse cowgirl action on a chair, and finish with her over the desk.

In a move to bring more business to the club and calm dancers' complaints, George and Brad plans a competition. Viewers get an office foursome. Kimberly Carson and Janey Robbins double teams Herschel Savage. While Rachel Ashley does Ron Jeremy in his only sex scene before hosting the competition. Brad uses his connections to get Jennifer in the competition. It starts off tame. viewers and the club's audience are transported to a dream world filled with hot sexual action connected to the theme of the on-stage performance. First there's an anal scene between Paul Lawson and the "catwoman" Tanya Lawson, who makes purring moans while wearing cat ears and a tail. Next is a lesbian threesome in a steamy place, that involves Desiree Lane, Laurie Smith and an unknown black woman.

Jennifer is the last performer. We go back and fort from the stage to her and Brad on their knees. Jennifer is in front of Brad who is entering her. She uses her mouth to finish him off. She wins the contest and then celebrates in her second scene with Leslie that ends the film. The two share a chemistry and intimacy of real life lovers. Their last "meeting" lacks the raunch of the earlier encounter Leslie had with Rachel Ashley, where the entire action happens in chair. Leslie gets pleasure by Ashley who is turned upside down. He then takes her as she sits in the chair facing him.

"Flesdance" is gem from the Golden Age and put much time in simple plot and frequent unclear dialogue common to even today's porn. This would be a turn-off to many of today's impatient quick-to-the-action viewers old. Its a great film that features many porn legends. Including the unrealized legend potential of Shanna Evans.

Looking back...

[stillandre · 8/10 · 2 April 2011]

Looking back on adult film from this era, it's easy to pan this if you're too young to have lived the times.

I remember this film as one of the highly touted adult films of the year. The idea that an adult film would copy the premise of a mainstream film was not as prevalent 25 years ago as it is now. I wouldn't say this was a parody. Parodies suggest a lampooning, a send up of sorts, and it allows an excuse to not try too hard. This was not just goofing around with the association. There was a visceral edge in both films, of a man watching an erotic dancer that strikes a nerve beyond the usual dancers.

I think the producers were anxious to get credible attention paid to this genre as an viable erotic alternative to what passes the MPAA ratings for wider release. They knew survival depended on tying in artistic cinema merit with the explicit sexual content to hopefully "normalize" the genre.

This was a very small industry back then. The big projects were still initially done expensively on film, with people that had legit acting aspirations before they fell into skin flicks. This was also the very first big role for a woman of color, and a previously unknown one at that. Vanessa DelRio was big then, but not taken seriously as a belle of the lusty ball. There were name stars in place in help bolster the draw, but make no mistake - Shanna Evans was commanding the full attention of the hottest male adult film star of that time - John Leslie. This paved the way for the idea of brown skinned women as primary erotic muses to not be dismissed so easily in the future.

This Review May Contain Spoilers***

[outdo7 · 2 February 2016]

I have seen many flicks with John Leslie. But I have never seen him bust his nut like he did on Evans in that last scene. Word has it these 2 had some type of relationship and it showed in the love making in the last scene. It is mostly quiet between them with the music playing but you can hear Leslie constantly asking her how she wants it. The insertion of his penis into her it a classic. I don't know why more films don't show this. The only other flick I've seen Leslie really get excited was in "Talk Dirty To Me - Part 3" where he makes love to Lisa DeLeeuw in the end. But that scene takes 2nd place to this one. You can tell Leslie is working into a frenzy has holds off his ejaculation fora long time. But when it finally explodes he pulls out of her and squirts gushes of his juices all over her very hairy beaver. Fantastic!