INSERTS is one of those movies that while watching you find
yourself thinking you’ll need a shower after watching it. No, it’s not that the
images are the most pornographic ever filmed but the story, the situations and the
entire feeling of the film evokes that feeling from scene to scene. That it
features name actors, was released by a major studio and was even made is mind
boggling.
The story of INSERTS revolves around Boy Wonder (Richard
Dreyfuss), a once hotshot director during the silent era who has fallen on hard
times due to both his difficulty in transitioning from silent to sound films as
well as his rampant alcoholism. He now spends his days reclusively living in
his once glorious home and shooting silent porno shorts. In walks Harlene
(Veronica Cartwright), a flapper with a squeaky voice ala Betty Boop and a
positive attitude. Having been in movies she still longs to be the star and
dreams of getting there. Aside from her voice her love of heroin also makes this
less than realistic.
The conversation between these two characters revolves
around what they once were, what she dreams of being, using drugs and her
willingness to do whatever it takes to be on film. They also bring up the topic
of Boy Wonder’s erectile dysfunction issue which becomes recurring one
throughout the film. When Rex the Wonder Dog (Stephen Davies) shows, and no he
isn’t really a dog, the filming begins. This is not porn as many know it. This
is rough and violent action taking place between these two, egged on by
Dreyfuss which only increases what he is filming.
The movie alters a bit here with the arrival of Big Mac (Bob
Hoskins), the financier of these films being made and a mobster if ever there
was one. On his arm is Cathy Cake (Jessica Harper), a lovely young thing Mac
has his eye on with the intent of marrying. But Cathy is as much a user as
every character in this film, hoping that her ties with Mac will lead to a part
in a feature film. Mac is also the source of heroin used by Harlene and he
gives her what she needs, sending her off to take her dose. What happens then
leads the film down a dark path. I would describe it but it would become a
major spoiler that I would rather not reveal for the less timid who choose to
watch this one.
Yes, the acting is good, yes the dialogue between characters
rings true and yes it is shot well. And yet the movie draws you in by
discussing the fallen dreams of people. It is a hopeless world where the worst
you can expect of anyone is always the first thing they deliver. There are no
characters here to root for, no one you can relate to (I hope!) and the
situations they are involved in rank among the most despicable you can imagine.
When released the movie was given an NC-17 rating and it is
well deserved, not so much because of the full frontal nudity (which is here)
but because of the thematic elements here. It’s a movie that some will want to
watch to say they have done so, some will want to watch because of its
notoriety and others will watch because they want to see everything done by a
particular actor/actress. My guess is that for most one viewing will be more
than enough. Twilight Time has done their usual spectacular job in the
presentation of the movie with as clean a print as you can have on blu-ray. In
the end it is up to the viewer to determine if this is their sort of movie or
not.
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