TxMike Watched this as a Netflix streaming movie. Filmed in the Seychelles.It starts in London where an middle-aged man, nearing 50, with teenage sons at home, decides that he wants to spend a year on a tropical island with a younger women. There is a bit of mumbling in the dialog so he may have said and I missed it, but I never found out what he was going to do with his sons during this time.So he places an ad for a "wife" and is in the process of meeting the respondents one by one, until he meets Lucy and she seems to be just right. So he cancels the other interviews, he and Lucy start spending time together, sleeping together, and probably planning the details of their trip although it isn't obvious that they do so.When ready, they set off and once in Australia find that they must be married to cavort alone on the island, and somehow Lucy had decided she wanted to remain single, but they marry to avoid canceling.As we watch this story it seems that planning was not done very well. They don't really know what they will do with their time, and they don't seem particularly prepared for food, shelter, or invariable medical needs. Plus, she decides, once they are on the island alone, she spends most of her time nude but loses all her interest in sex, which creates its own new set of problems.Veteran actor Oliver Reed is the man, Gerald Kingsland. Amanda Donohoe as the woman Lucy Irvine, was about 23 and very lovely.While the movie is interesting from a character study, and just the idea of two relative strangers spending a year alone together on a small island with no conveniences, it doesn't flow very well and when it is all over doesn't particularly make sense. Except, perhaps, to show that even if you go half-way around the world, to an island, you still end up eventually doing and enjoying what you did back home. He stayed in Australia, she flew away, probably back to London.

Big Wheel This is in response to a previous reviewer, David Frames, who called this movie "misogynistic" and implied Oliver Reed's character was a letch. That is a totally incorrect interpretation of the film. Anytime I hear the word "misogynist", I know I'm dealing with some pathetic, man-hating, feminist, left-wing nut. This reviewer didn't need to get their panties in a knot. Just because Oliver Reed's character wants to spend time with a beautiful, naked woman does not mean he hates women. It's called being heterosexual and loving the female form. It seems that some people nowadays are such cowardly little lickspittles that they have capitulated to the man-hating feminist definition of "political correctness" to the point that they are afraid to enjoy the female body anymore for fear that somebody might accuse them of being sexist.Merely because a man enjoys frolicking nude with a beautiful woman does NOT make him a misogynist; it makes him a normal red-blooded male. So don't let the review of David Frames, who is probably a homosexual, turn you off from this film. I saw it when I was 15 and I loved it. Amanda Donahoe's nudity was in line with the story; they were on a warm, deserted island---why would they need to wear clothes? Naturism is as natural as a sunset, there is nothing wrong with appreciating the female body, and don't let these hateful feminists on the political left make you feel guilty about it. This movie is harmless. It shows how a man hopes to enjoy the simple fantasy of a care-free, idyllic life romping in the sun, and how the reality of what he gets doesn't live up to his expectations. This is a meditation on life and love; in the end we never really get what we had hoped for, and the sizzle is always better than the steak. Oliver Reed had hoped for an island paradise, and he finds that the problems of life cannot be avoided by merely changing locations. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the film for what it is.

mmunier If you imagine yourself on your own, switching on your TV to accompany a frugal lunch and there on that screen you'd see a gorgeous young woman wearing her birthday suit in the most natural pose, for you to see all; would you call this a spoiler? And this in some way was only the "hors d'oeuvre"! I nearly bit my finger as I did not want to miss one frame! Well being on a commercial station it was not as bad a this so I did not go hungry either and for once appreciated those otherwise very annoying ads. I was only aware of one "castaway", recently with Tom Hank. I can tell you I did enjoy this one much more, I might have to give a go to the early one too, although if I understood rightly it's again a very different story. Beyond that thrill I also enjoyed the development of the characters through the story. I have seen the late Oliver Reed in a couple of other movie. And I expected from him a strong performance, well that how I know Oliver Reed, Bill Sykes! I sent my dice rolling on the table and it produced a 7 for my rating how about that. MM

TheNorthernMonkee SPOILERSSo this is the film which was fronted as the late, great Oli Reed's comeback. With Amanda Donohoe, Oli stars in a wonderful film about an Odd Couple who for certain reasons decide to live together on a desert island.Oli is superb as the 45 year old man who just wants to be alone on his dream island with the gorgeous Amanda Donohoe, and she's also superb as the girl who's forced to live with the volatile Oli Reed.The difference in viewpoint between the two central characters is stunning, and drives the film along well as whilst Oli is blatantly interested in both her, enjoying himself and fulfilling a few desires, she's keen on being much more active and building things. The comparison of the two continues as the film progresses until eventually a boat containing two men appear. Truth be told, it is the appearance of these two men (Jason & Rod) which leads to the film going slightly downhill for the customary dip which most films experience. The psychology of Donahoe as she blatantly gets upset at a missed opportunity to sleep with one of the men is slightly infuriating for the audience as well as the characters, and it's clever to see how the two characters behave differently amongst visitors and this is actually quite an interesting portrayal of how we change amongst guests compared with in close company.Eventually, the two almost die of malnutrition, and yet once again some random strangers turn up, this time in the face of nuns. It becomes blatantly obvious this time however that Donahoe does actually quite like Oli at times, when he's not being aggressive and violent, or excessively lazy. It is the upgrade in living enviroments and food provided by the nuns and their friends, that allows the two to regain their health and the film perks up now as the end of their year approaches.Eventually the film runs through to it's climax, via a few memorable moments, and the film is completed, as, looking back, it seemed destined to throughout.It's hard to sum up this film really. After a slightly weak review as the one I've just written, most people will probably have stopped reading by now. I guess, it's probably just worth saying that whilst films on desert beaches are by no means in short supply, this one is more enjoyable than most other efforts and is head and shoulders above both Tom Hank's most recent effort and the Beach with Leo Di Caprio. Enjoy one of Oli Reed's finest roles and find yourself inspired to escape society to a beach of your own.