It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I've never seen a film quite like 'Finding Bliss'. The first half of the film is a raunchy, over-the-top character piece about an idealistic college grad, Jody, who moves to Hollywood with the dream of making romantic comedies. She ends up getting hired to edit a porn film, and being broke and desperate, takes the job. But deep down, she's drawn to the honest, no holds barred sexuality that she is forced (therefore expunging her of her Jewish guilt) to watch day in day out. The second half of the film moves into romantic comedy territory when Jody falls for bad boy porn director Jeff Drake (played by Matt Davis, a delectable actor). Jeff isn't quite who he appears to be on the outside, nor is anyone else in this refreshingly unique and consistently authentic comedy. The porn stars aren't the typical trashy vacant types we so often see in films (even dim-witted Jamie Kennedy ends up having a loyal, loving heart), and good girl Jody isn't quite the good girl after all, but is a complicated woman, who makes choices that often contradict what she thinks she wants, and is really quite unlike any female heroine in recent memory. She wants to be loved and respected by a man, but also wants to be treated like a whore in the bedroom by that same man. In this film, that counts for not only romantic comedy, but real life. All in all, I consider this a high-brow indie masquerading as a low-brow comedy, which for the sake of pure entertainment value is the best of both worlds.

Finding Bliss is a fun, clever, entertaining, and very unique peek at the "porn" business as seen through the eyes of a wannabe filmmaker. The story centers on Jody, who gets awarded "most likely to succeed" at her film school graduation, only to find out that her dreams of success in Hollywood may turn out to be, well just that, dreams. Through a series of both fortunate and unfortunate events, Jody finds herself working at Grind Productions, a purveyor of adult fare looking to crossover into mainstream entertainment. Circumstances then convince Jody, and the audience, that this is her best hope. Jody will offer her creative abilities to co-write and edit Grind's new crossover features and then secretly utilize the Grind facilities, gear, and "actors", to create her breakout independent feature. Porn and mainstream start off like apples and oranges, but as the story progresses, the lines begin to blur and Jody finds herself rethinking some of her preconceived notions about the biz, both Porn and Mainstream. This is a romantic comedy, and steers clear of some of the darker elements as presented in Boogie Nights and Zac and Miri. The sexuality and language are for laughs and not for shock, making this a great date night movie for adults. LeeLee Sobieski is great as Jody, and shows that if given the part, she can carry a movie. Matt Davis as Jeff Drake, the award winning Porn director brings great depth to his character and his complex past and present. The chemistry between Leelee and Matt is obvious. Jamie Kennedy's talents are well suited for his character Dick (literally and figuratively), and the rest of the cast in no particular order Kristen Johnston, Donnamarie Recco, Mircea Monroe, PJ Byrne complement the heart and soul of the story. A few industry cameos appear to spice up the backgrounds, and of course Ron Jeremy is, well he is Ron Jeremy, and always fun to see on screen (fully clothed not to worry). Good technical credits in photography and sound, however there are moments when the picture's low budget are obvious. But overall, a fun ride worth taking.

I loved this film!!! The acting and directing were wonderful, especially for an independent film. The story has a heart,good values and lots of fun to watch!!! LeeLee Sobieski was terrific, she truly made me root for her! Matt Davis, Donna Marie Recco and Jamie Kennedy are true professionals- very good acting by all!!! It must have been difficult to make a film about the porn industry, while keeping it semi-clean, and still making it funny, yet showing the deep emotions of the characters. This film succeeded in achieving this goal.This film made me see the porn actors from a different perspective. Hope that this director makes more films. This is much better than many of the huge budget films out there now!!!

I saw Finding Bliss at this year's Slamdance Festival. I found it to be one of the most engaging, heart-warming, and funny romantic comedies of the year. It always amazes me how some larger budget films get all of the hype and promotion when they have no real "heart" and a thin plot line, and how small budget movies such as this, with a great story and plot line are passed over. I found myself drawn into the characters, the story, and having real concern for them. The movie has a lot of heart.The story is about a girl who dreams since childhood of becoming a film maker, seeks her dream in Hollywood, only to be rebuffed by the usual obstacles, until she unknowingly responds to an ad for her editing skills and finds she is being interviewed by a porn studio. Desperately, and reluctantly, she stays with it, and discovers she can furtively sneak into their sound stage and use their equipment in the wee hours of the night...until she is caught by the handsome stud studio owner. A devil's bargain is struck, with possible predictable consequences, but the laughs from the hapless cast members, and the ups and downs of her relationships with them make for a wonderful story, well told, with a meaningful ending.Hopefully, this film will see a broader release and get the audience it deserves.