Some things I liked some I did not.

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Meet Monica Velour is important because it plays off many American anxieties about sex, which may as well be a four-letter word in American society. Sex workers are invisible in this culture, hardly seen as people, let alone portrayed as complex human beings with lives outside from their current/former job. Second chances are hard to come by and second acts are even harder to pull off—and also taboo to talk about. So here is an endearing, smart film, about Monica Velour, a former Miss January, evoking all this and more, not didactic at all, and with all the markers of a cult classic.The basic plot: Tobe (Dustin Ingram) is lanky nerdy-but-hot tall drink of water, "unconventionally" handsome young man, who lives with his granddad and finds out his triple-X celeb obsession/idol, Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall) is performing a rare live show at a skin parlor some states over. The graduate, no other life direction in mind, answers the call to adventure by taking his grad present (a frankfurter truck) and setting off to both sell the truck and woo his woman. You know, the kind of open-ended epic in the Campbell follow-your-bliss style—a little like a spiked version of Little Miss Sunshine, another film I love. As others have noted, the opening credits sequence is *incredible* —a visual feast full of puns and double entendres—and sets a high bar that the film mostly meets. Tobe's affection for Monica is good-natured, almost innocent; he lovingly maintains his treasure trove, scrapbooking-as-craft and vision-boarding, the purity of his intentions/ idealization of sex in general (and, to be sure, Monica in specific) beaming out of his pores. Tobe's gravitation to Monica (as opposed to "someone his own age") is almost natural given his "old" soul, which is something perhaps mainstream audiences don't understand. He's going after windmills and we root for him because it's more devotion than lust that motivates him.Monica turns out to be more tarnished and tired than perhaps Tobe or any "real life" man would want; her starpower and earning potential is on the wane, as she inevitably marches toward her next status an aging woman in a superficial society. Monica's role is written with depth and with no apologies for her past or current life, defying stereotypes and victimhood—she's a 3-dimensional character. Cattrall plays her really well, down to facial minutiae. My favorite moment of hers has got to be when she says, rejected after applying for a conventional job at a beauty parlor, "God, you screw a few hundred guys and the whole world turns against you." That's our unforgiving culture in a nutshell, but the film doesn't sermonize or even "take sides" between Tobe and Monica: sympathetic to both, we're just being let into their star-crossed worlds for a little while.Tobe's idea that he can "help" or "save" Monica gets its rightful interrogation; and Monica's problems with receiving help and her jadedness in the face of genuine romance are also honestly portrayed. The drama comes when Tobe cannot reify Monica any longer— when he must process what his love is, what it's really made of, and who he really is, upon meeting this real person with her own life. I would say this is a dramedy more than a comedy, and a travelogue as well. The humor (especially if you're going off of the trailer) can seem Woody Allen-esque at times (the "sexy Star Wars" clip featured has been compared to "Sleeper"), but it's more than that, and not as imitative as that comparison would let on. It's a dry, absurdist humor, a little snarky, sort of like Juno (but perhaps lower-key). Despite the titillating appearance, the film is more about, yes, coming of age than sex or anything else. "Coming of age" is a phrase that has different meanings to different people, but here it means learning about love. Sex is easy. Appreciating someone for who they really are—that's hard, and one of the lessons Tobe learns: not to put women up on pedestals, but not to swing to the other extreme either. Rather, the challenge, for all of us, is to continue to trust love, rather than get disillusioned by the prospect of being with someone who is not cosmetically 'perfect' or (even) conventionally 'desirable.' The heart wants what the heart wants, and we should be so lucky as to serve it. This is our life's work. Tobe's heroes' journey just involves some porn—who are we to judge? Visually, the film is lovely as well, rich in interesting shots, pops of color, and spot-on costuming. I really love the rich material culture this film inhabits, its use of "high" and "low" art alike, to get us (in a very subtle way) to question whether pornography can't be artistic as well—if it can't activate agape as well as eros. So, if you can relax (or look past) our culture's hang-ups about sex, this is a fine little fable about relating to people, seeing them for who they are (and not who you want them to be), and growing into yourself. I want to emphasize that the film is not smutty or vulgar, but very-lighthearted—the only time I cringed was when Pop- pop (Brian Dennehy) dipped his boiled egg in a shot of Pepto-Bismol— and ate it. That was disgusting. Sex is a healthy, natural, wonderful, and fun thing, and we should embrace it…there's just not enough sex-positive media out there, let alone any film that takes on "nontraditional" love in a sincere, open-minded, sweet and smart way. "Sex" is a three-letter word. Meet Monica Velour is a gem.Protip- Get the DVD as the commentary is very interesting, as are the deleted scenes. And because you'll want to slow down those opening credits.

Let's say you're tired of slack-brained comedies dealing with mature subjects the prepubescent way. Let's say you've watched your fair share of raunchy comedies with heart and are now just looking for the "heart." And let's say you want a film that doesn't sacrifice performances for writing or vice-versa. You may want to listen up here.Keith Bearden's Meet Monica Velour is a mature film about a mature subject, which is coming-of-age and entering reality after being confined to a fantasy that one has developed over a long period of time. It centers around Tobe (Dustin Ingram), a shy seventeen year old who has an undying fascination with classic movies, music, and pornography. He lives with his cantankerous grandfather (Brian Dennehy) and his best friend is only twelve years old. But the person he loves more than these two combined is Monica Velour, a sexy porn star who made a living doing seventies exploitation flicks. Tobe's deep fascination with the woman only increases because she has faded into complete obscurity, no longer acting and not leaving any traces behind.When Tobe discovers the one and only Monica Velour will be appearing at a strip club, he makes the long commute to not only meet her, but also sell the only car he has - an bulky van with a gigantic hot dog attached to the roof. When he finally arrives at the strip club, the woman he sees isn't quite who everyone would label attractive. Monica (Kim Cattrall) is now an aging, deeply unhappy woman, juggling child-custody, a deadbeat boyfriend, her uncompromising and somewhat-regrettable legacy, and constant ridiculing for her life choices. Tobe is still undeniably starstruck when he meets the woman, and strikes up a friendship after he is assaulted at the bar by a group of thugs.The biggest problem with Monica's relationship with Tobe is that Tobe lives in, what appears to be, another reality, one where Monica is still the incredible porn-goddess she once was and where problems can be fixed by ditching life's current situation in favor of what looks to be a long-term solution. Monica views Tobe's decision-making as reckless and lethal to her stability, but can't shake the thought that he is a young, starstruck soul with more of a voice than most of the other kids his age. It's that conflict and the enormous age difference that makes their relationship thrive.Cattrall is a wise choice for Monica. She is the right amount of sexy for the role, but she is also the right amount of brains and intelligence as well, as she plays Monica with a sense of helplessness but also bravery. Here's a woman that has been broken numerous times, and here she stands, beaten, torn, and clearly roughed-up. But she's not giving up; she's too powerful for that.Ingram plays Tobe effectively too, humanizing what could've been the most stereotypical, unlikable nerd. Rather than making him insufferably quirky and unrealistically inept like, say, his doppelganger Napoleon Dynamite, Bearden turns the character into a likable man with a real heart and wit to his strange, socially awkward nature. He's not all skin and quirks, and the movie actually gives him a firm leg to stand on.Meet Monica Velour is, uniformly, a quiet film. The film moves quickly, but not too quickly as to where it is easy to forget. The ethics and choices of the characters demand contemplation (even if some - including the climax - seem to be a bit forced), the commentary it includes on the porn world outside of the STD-craze is noteworthy, and the cinematography and locational beauty of the entire project is, at the very least, nicely displayed throughout the course of the film. Throw in great performances from Cattrall - who may be giving her career-worthy performance here - and a nice introduction into film from Ingram and you have a winning film.Starring: Dustin Ingram and Kim Cattrall. Directed by: Keith Bearden.

With a title like 'Meet Monica Velour', one can almost be assured of some sleazy raunchy plot of a scenario and gratuitous nudity. One would be wrong; well there's some, not much, partial nudity but it is absolutely necessary in the context of the story. The storyline summary in IMDb is as much as needs to be said unless you are prepared to deal with the real and more lengthy story. The full story is much more in depth than what is superficially conveyed by the title; a better choice for a title could help this nice story to find an audience and reassure the viewer that the movie is not raunchy or sleazy. I decided to watch it because I often take a non conventional approach to picking movies; seeking gems, I watch a volume of films which inevitably means I will see duds and crap before I find those gem that make it all worthwhile. 'Meet Monica Velour' is almost one of those gems, not quite but as close as it comes to the real thing. That makes it worth a view. Why? For all the following reasons: Kim Cattrall shows that she can act, oh yes, no kidding; she is giving a performance she can be very proud of. Before this movie, I thought of Kim Cattrall as an actress who only did commercial stuff where she is a character of low morality to say it nicely, and where little acting skills were required. Here she plays a person of low morality in a way of course, but one who is honest, caring and loving while having to show the struggle of a former porn star with some brain and what she must endure later in life. It is a beautifully done piece of acting as you'll ever see; she is completely believable and garnishes sympathy from a stunned viewer like me. I dare anyone to find a smart review that says different. Then there's Dustin Ingram, who plays the main character and acquits himself with equal savvy; his character is brilliantly well depicted. There are several sweet moments and as many realistic down to earth, "real life' moments that deserved good acting and these two actors delivered. A young director by the name of Keith Bearden now has a showcase for his portfolio and one he can be proud of, both for the directing and the script.

At sometime in your life you've either met, wished to have met, been or wish to have been Monica Velour, a film which captures life's beautiful tragedy, beautifully.Perhaps you know a Monica and maybe you're a Tobe but have heart, it'll all work out fine in the end.If you don't recognise any part of yourself in this excellent film then chances are, eventually, you will. Either that or you're incapable of recognising Bathos, Pathos or any other of "life's Musketeers"Kim Cattrall is still hot, more so without all the SITC polish but special thanks must go to Brian Dennehy for certain .. aspects ..of his performance. In between poking out my mind's eye with an imaginary fork, I'm reaching for the eye bleach. Thanks, Brian....9/10 Monica Velour is an instant classic.