Okay, let's take this movie for what it is -- a bodice ripper romance novel put on the screen for you to enjoy. It's hardly anything more than that, but does it have to be? The film is set in the "deep south", but the faulty accents and in-and-around LA locations sometimes give it away. It's a highly stylized exercise in melodramatic erotica. There's no mystery here -- even the ending can be seen coming a mile away! Basically the plot is a Southern Belle sows her wild oats before her wedding, and finds herself torn between sensuality and stability. She meets a carny who offers her one last hot fling before she marries her boring college sweetheart. Which one will she chose?
What's to like? Sherilyn Fenn is radiant as April, and overcomes most all of the bad dialogue. She's a great actress! Kristy McNichol steals the few scenes she is in with a flair for comedy and easy earthy sensuality! Why is she not doing more? Richard Tyson plays a rough and tumble drifter carny who gets to pout and preen as a male "himbo" who is justly portrayed as good at one thing. The plot is silly, and you even get an over-the-top Louise Fletcher appearing as the matriarch who knows all too well that "lust fades, but financial security is worth everything!"
I love this movie though. It is charming in its own way, and sensual without being too graphic. Nothing is subtle, but it pays off as one of the most enjoyable Zalman King outings ever! Notice the almost "ALL WHITE" costumes! These people spend a fortune on bleach. Notice the hottest scene seems to be when Sherilyn Fenn and Kristy McNichol dance together on a deserted jukejoint floor. Notice the great soundtrack! Let yourself go, and enjoy an old-fashioned pot boiler romance filmed and acted better than it ever had a right to be.
