I WANT CANDY

Going for cheap laughs with porn is easy; getting laughs is much harder, as the British film I Want Candy sadly demonstrates.

Film students Joe (Tom Riley) and Baggy (Tom Burke) have been working on their movie for years when their pretentious film professor Dulberg (Mackenzie Crook) announces that the film for the final will be a short film -- two minutes long. Joe and Baggy decide to get studio backing and make their movie themselves, but no studio shows interest. They finally manage to get backing from porn maker and gangster Doug (Eddie Marsan) after falsely promising that their movie will feature adult star Candy Fiveways (Carmel Electra).

What follows is a mess of comic elements that never work. There's the comedy of Joe, Baggy, and their amateur cast secretly filming the movie in Joe's home when his elderly parents are away (and the inevitable scene when they come home early). There are the Eartern European crew whose accents and poor English are used for cheap laughs. There are several shallow romances, from the unsurprising one between Joe and female friend Lila (Michelle Ryan) to the unbelievable one between shy Baggy and Candy. There are stereotypical gangsters, gross-out gags where Joe's father repeatedly eats foods used in the movie, and a flat adult entertainment award show.

I Want Candy also suffers from juvenile production and writing. There are several shots sped up for no reason, and one scene where two characters talk in sync for several seconds belongs in Hannah Montana more than a comedy for adults. None of the actors stand out -- sorry Carmen -- except for Jimmy Carr who has some great moments as a video store clerk who knows quite a bit about porn. And dvd extras are standard, plus a "How to Make a Porno" that's just clips from the movie.

If you want to see a funny movie about making an adult movie, I'd recommend Zack and Miri Make a Porno or Orgazmo. I don't want I Want Candy.

Overall grade: D-

Reviewed by James Lynch