The stage curtains open ...
Marie: "Obviously, you haven't explored the True Crime genre. Haven't you heard of Elizabeth Smart?"
Chloe: "I think I blew her brother in the 5th grade."
Maybe I'm not being fair by picking that particular quote to highlight in my review, but it was pretty bad. This movie popped up in my feed as an erotic thriller - and if done right, I'm down for that. Well, after watching it for the first, and probably the last time, it is not much of a thriller at all. It plays out as more of an erotic drama with some mystery elements to it. Though it is no "Basic Instinct", it did have some redeeming moments.
Marie is a Sugar Baby, not quite the same as prostitution ... she makes arrangements with a Sugar Daddy for financial compensation or material possessions in exchange for favors, not always sexual, but always in the form of companionship over a period of time. She is approaching 27 years of age, and looking into other online opportunities with a website similar to Only Fans. However, she is asked to spend a week in the home of Jeff, a whale of a Sugar Daddy, who offers her $30,000 for her time. She accepts, only to find out there is more going on inside his house than meets the eye.
James Tupper is not a headlining actor, but he has been in few large productions in bit roles. He tries to make the best of it here, though I was getting a demented Conan O'Brien vibe off of him. The music was very Tangerine Dream-like, it felt like a throwback approach to the soundtrack. The highlight of the film was our lead, Mary Beth Barone, who carried the film well with a sense of realism required to pull off this type of role.
However, "Sugar Baby" ultimately falls short with a very naughty made-for-tv feel to it. The big twist at the end wasn't jaw dropping, but rather tame - and there was nothing here that made me want to come back for more. It isn't a thriller - it is lackluster in that area. It is shot well, but the final scenes were very formulaic and served to exist to tie up the loose ends with less than stellar acting. This is more about the journey than the destination, though I feel the filmmakers were hoping their twist at the end would be their selling point. Not a recommend.
