Lucky Bastard (2014)
Directed by: Robert Nathan
Written by: Robert Nathan
Starring: Betsy Rue, Catherine Annette, Chris Wylde, Don McManus, Jay Paulson
Lucky Bastard (2014)
(TBC) Running time: 94 minutes
Director: Robert Nathan
Writers: Robert Nathan, Lukas Kendall
Cast: Don McManus, Jay Paulson, Betsy Rue, Chris Wylde, Catherine Annette
Reviewed by: Matt Wavish
The controversial Lucky Bastard see’s the found footage genre enter the porn industry, with shocking, thought provoking and at times, rather excellent results. The film centres around an on-line competition, where subscribers to a porn site can win the chance to have sex with a famous porn star, hence the title of the competition, Lucky Bastard.
The film cleverly opens with a dangerous scene involving two well known male porn stars, an up and coming female porn actress called Casey (Catherine Annette) and famous porn star Ashley Saint (Betys Rue). The less said the better, but the scene cleverly sets up the films tone, and brilliantly portrays how the porn industry sometimes needs to take things a little too far for kicks. Case in point: the Lucky Bastard competition, an idea which is clearly bound to attract weirdos and perverts, but it makes for good on-line viewing, and that’s what it’s all about really, money and ratings.
Ashley Saint comes from a broken home, and an abusive ex partner and has two kids. Being a porn actress is all she knows, but she is desperate for something better. Unfortunately her director Mike (Don McManus) knows how popular she is, and he talks her into doing one last Lucky Bastard episode with this month’s winner Dave (Jay Paulson). We soon meet Dave, a shy, uncomfortable looking man who is clearly a little unhinged, and obsessed with Ashley, and very soon Ashley becomes uncomfortable as Dave asks her “not to touch me” while on their car journey to the place they will have sex. Things continue to get more awkward as the film goes on, but we already know how bad it gets thanks to the film’s opening moments.
Before we get to the rape porn scene mentioned above, we firstly see the aftermath of a terrible murder scene, and pretty soon you will figure out exactly where this happened, which makes the unfolding events all the more sinister as you already know the outcome. Seeing the director enthusiastic about the upcoming event, Ashley looking more and more worried, and Dave getting creepier and creepier, Lucky Bastard nicely sets up a feeling of unease and panic. Where does it go wrong, what sets Dave off, and who survives?
It is mentioned in the opening moments that “those who play with fire get burned”, and this saying could not be any truer than here. Using a shy pervert who subscribes to porn to sleep with a well know porn actress is dangerous, and the fact the competition winner is usually exploited makes the whole thing slightly sinister from both parties. If a director is willing to make horrible films like “rape porn”, then just how far is he willing to go with Lucky Bastard to ensure his precious money and ratings continue to deliver. A question of morals hangs over this film from start to finish, and the only real person you will care about is poor Ashley.
Thankfully Betsy Rue delivers are superb, honest and character driven performance to bring to the screen a porn actress that you will really care about. Her personal story is a tragedy, all she wants is what’s best for her kids, but the only way to get ahead in life is porn. I would imagine this sad story is happening all over the world, and Lucky Bastard opens up the porn industry as a real business for those who have never really cared for it. It paints a picture of an industry warped with determination and disregard for people’s feelings. Yes Mike comes across like he cares for Ashley, but just watch how he treats his up and coming porn actress girlfriend, and if he really cared about Ashley he would have stopped the Lucky Bastard episode as soon as things got creepy.
As with Rue’s performance, McManus is superb as porn director Mike, and he even manages to come across as quite likeable at times. Paulson on the other hand nails his performance as the slightly unhinged Dave, and he expertly delivers a performance that is edgy and unpredictable. When he pleads with the film crew that he “does not want to be humiliated” you know he means it, and the fact that the crew just laugh at these pleas only makes you, the viewer, feel more uncomfortable. When Dave explains “I’m not a stalker”, his words do not convince, and Ashley becomes more and more afraid. During the films first half, Lucky Bastard is honest, emotional, exciting, dangerous and unpredictable.
After a pep talk by Mike before sex (and it’s quite a pep talk I can tell you!), the film heads into much darker territory as the violence kicks in. Sadly this is where the quality faltered somewhat, and what began as a chilling portrayal of a really dangerous situation, borders on black comedy as the nasty stuff kicks in. Some of it is choreographed well, some of it isn’t, but I felt Lucky Bastard’s strengths were in its superb writing and character development, and sadly the action does not quite live up to the build up. The ending could have done with shaving off about ten minutes, but it is still an enjoyable descent into madness.
One of the best things about this film, apart from its brave subject matter and top notch performances, was the writing and the injection of some comedy in the first half. Yes the film is posing a dangerous question about how far is too far, and just where do people’s desperation for something cutting edge or ambitious stop, and does greed or selfishness take over, and while the film is generally serious, seeing a male porn star taking his time while the girl begs “can you come already” is funny enough. His response of “I already came twice today” is hilarious. The comedy adds to the films charm, and if you have a soft spot for Betsy Rue, then there are plenty of naked scenes to enjoy!
All in all, Lucky Bastard is an ambitious and assured debut from a filmmaker who has a very promising career ahead of him.
Rating: 
Be the first to comment