leonardmarks
Every so often in a movie you come across a characterization that goes beyond the theme and text of the movie itself and provides a portrayal of a character that could be taken as a whole and used as the basis for a separate movie. Such is the character of J.R. portrayed by Camilla Griggs which, surprisingly, is rarely commented upon by reviewers of this movie. Too often she is seen only in contrast with Loretta's feelings and as the antagonist but her character, her personality, what she's looking for and how she goes about it and about meeting her needs is unusual and she could be viewed separately and appreciated. My suggestion is to watch the movie through once and then watch it a second time, paying particular attention to the character of J.R., to how she relates to her newly come by job, her newly come by girlfriend and the others in her life including Loretta. I'm amazed that I haven't seen Camilla Griggs in anything else because she's certainly a talent.
quietstorm778
I am 23 years old and just hitting my movie-watching prime (if one exists). What I mean is that I am finally able to watch movies and appreciate them for what they are. I have only been able to do this for a year or two. So, I flip around Showtime at 1:30 AM and see a movie called "Bar Girls"; could be soft-core porn! Hit the info; lesbian soft-core porn! Neither, but before I realized it, I was hooked in. If I looked at the entire work as a satire (which I did), it was phenomenal.After reading on this site that the playwright is pretty philosophical, I was a little disappointed that she probably wanted this movie to be taken seriously, but not so much so that it detracted from the movie for me. I could have done without Loretta's diatribes and the frustrating displays of anger, but all in all, this was not poorly acted. In addition, the comedy level was pretty high. I mean, as a heterosexual male, it is great to know that lesbians have hate sex too (I hope that doesn't qualify as a spoiler. This is my first time posting here, and I figure 11 years is long enough for an obscure movie). Corny ending, but the bar scene prior to the ending was hilarious. Sam
Alex
This was an amateurish film. It had the feel of a home movie. The characters were badly acted and as poorly crafted. As a man (I never thought I would feel so weird writing those words) it seemed completely unbelievable. What exactly were we, the audience, meant to think? Were we supposed to sympathise with the characters? I can't even remember their names. It deserves its very bad rating. a feeble movie, with dreadful acting and a dire script.
petershelleyau
Director Marita Giovanni's film is based on a play by Lauran Hoffman. Hoffman's material may get tied up in psychobabble but she has an ear for entertaining dialogue and mercilessly avoids the archness usually associated with lesbian drama. Set around an LA Girl bar it focuses on Loretta (Nancy Allison Wolfe), a beautiful red-haired cartoonist, and her romance with actress Rachel (Liza D'Agostino).Wolfe's performance is droll and moving, and she manages to throw off the bad ideas Giovanni and Hoffman aim at her. She also deliberately approximates the glamour of Rita Hayworth from Gilda. Her apartment features the famous poster of Hayworth smoking, as well as a huge closeup of Lotte Lenya's eyes. The character of Rachel is less interesting though D'Agostino holds her own with Wolfe in their fight scenes. I also like Loretta's ditzy friend Veronica (Justine Slater), a straight woman `enchanted' by the idea of a lesbian affair. Those wanting to see a graphic sex scene will not be disappointed but it felt to me Giovanni cut away at a climactic (no pun intended) moment.The awful soundtrack suggests the film's low budget, as does the underpopulated bar, though this underpopulation serves Hoffman's incestuous roundelay theme. Note a cameo by Chastity Bono at Scorpio night.
AD
