Obsession

2013
Written by Tina Hawthorne
Directed by Kent Sawyer

Mainline Releasing Group (aka MRG Entertainment) gives us a softcore take on 50 Shades of Grey in what might be a preview of the style of the film version of same that will hit theaters in 2014. A super rich arrogant guy suddenly is extremely attracted to a freelance writer who did an interview with him and called him out on his crap. As no one has ever done that to Mr. Rich Guy, you can say he had an…..Obsession!

Because that’s the title, yo!

Obsession is at its best when its dissecting what a woman wants in a relationship, and at its worst when things are happening. Kiara Diane just wasn’t up to task to handle some of the emotional scenes, while Jason Sarcinelli is playing the same evil dick character we’ve seen a few times in Mainline Releasing films. He really only breaks out of that mold in his last scene, too bad it took so long to get there. I was totally not surprised to see this was a Tina Hawthorne script. Beyond her being the only writer for MRG, she’s also producing scripts that deal a lot with relationships and how people interact within them in addition to the required sex scenes. Needless to say, I’m a fan, even if she’s hit or miss.

As the Sophie Hammond character is already dating a guy who is a jerk, when she meets hyperjerk Max Berens it is on like Donkey Kong, if Donkey Kong was a softcore movie (probably called Donkey Dong, at least until Nintendo’s army of lawyers drowned everyone involved in cease and desists!)

Obsession features another person with a million dollar home while she’s just a freelancer and her boyfriend is a college student who doesn’t even pay his own tuition. I know a lot of writers due to writing my own site for so long, and none of them could afford anything close to that without something else going on. It also lessons the supposed wealth of Max Berens when Sophie’s expensive house looks more fancy than the billionaire’s office. And as Max seems less wealthy, his supposed power and influence go down, decreasing his charm and making him just seem more like a jerk.

Then I wondered why I thought he seemed less appealing because he seemed to have less money. Was I willing to give him excuses on being a jerk if he had a fat wad of cash? And if so, am I no better than women/men who date people for wealth? Why is it that rich idiots like our current crop of pop stars can waste tons of money and run around like idiots with no consequence, while the masses never get a break? Wealth just provides so much freedom in society it is obscene. It’s even permeated the subconscious mind, rich people can get away with whatever they want and you just assume it will be so, but the excuses you give to them do not transfer to someone who seems less than wealthy. I’m not saying we should kill the rich and tear down the system to reboot the planet. I’m sure there are one or two rich people who aren’t terrible. But Obession plays on this lifestyle of wealth with Max Berens’ character, while at the same time exposing its fraud by not emphasizing the wealth like it should. In that regards, Obsession fails as a film, and succeeds only in being a delivery method for naked chicks on late night Cinemax. On that hand, Obsession delivers!

Sophie Hammond (Kiara Diane) – A journalist for a local paper whose interview with Max Berens opens a new chapter in her life that involves an affair with said Max Berens. Max Berens (Jason Sarcinelli) – A famous billionaire who is very obsessive and gets interested in girls who stand up to him. Which seems to have happened only once ever with Sophie. Jason Sarcinelli is also in Sex Tapes and Sexy Assassins. Jake (Rocco Reed) – Jake is on year 6 of college and doesn’t want to grow up. Which really annoys his girlfriend Sophie. He doesn’t get her hints that she’s unhappy, until she dumps him for a mysterious billionaire. Rocco Reed is also in Dark Fantasies. Lia (Michelle Lay) – Max’s secretary who has a thing for Max. Thus she hates Sophie. Michelle Lay is also in Cougar School, Bikini Girls from the Lost Planet, and Ghost in a Teeny Bikini Monique (Tasha Reign) – A random woman trying to impress Max with her selling techniques. If she sells jets like she was selling herself to Max, then expect Max to be arrested soon for being a pimp.

Jake is home from class and his girlfriend Sophie is passive aggressive to his rude and boorish behavior. He seems oblivious to her remarks, and her reluctance to his advances are quickly overcome by the rush of the rare chance for a woman to have sex with some guy who’s a jerk! What woman could resist, really?

After the action is over, Sophie goes to see Mr. Max Berens, who she wil be interviewing as part of a story for the paper. Secretary Lia is sassy when Sophie asks why she’s not telling Max that she’s here. Lia says people aren’t late to appointments with Mr. Berens, establishing him as a powerful person who you don’t want to cross.

Max is so powerful that he’s commanding a woman named Monique how to move so she can sell jets to rich people, and she’s eager to show him her moves in a way that involves them having sex, if you know what I mean. Also he’s still commanding her during this time, because not only is he powerful, but he likes to dominate.

Finally Max comes out to get Sophie, and she immediately calls him out on spending too long on his previous meeting. Sophie is in your face and not afraid to be sarcastic to power. Max is impressed that someone is calling him out for being a jerk for once. He agrees to her interview because she stood up to him. Also he feels like an interview would be better as she’d be writing an article anyway. And it might be fun, because he likes her. She starts off with strong question immediately about the Saudi royal family, but as this has nothing to do with the plot we skip to the post-interview, where Max has Lia get Sophie’s personal information.

Sophie and Jake argue a bit about Jake being in college still and being immature, which leads to some more sexin’. Maybe Sophie just gets turned on by arguing?

The next morning Jake is trying to get Sophie to blow off work, but she needs to finish her article before the deadline. She slams him for not being inspiring for her writing, and for just always wanting to hang out and not having any goals in life. This sounds like the fight they should have had two sex scenes ago.

Max Berens shows up at her house that night and asks her to dinner. It’s totally not creepy at all and she accepts, because we know her history of being attracted to jerks. There is a cool shot of her getting into Max’s fancy car (with a driver!) and heading off while Jake walks by holding a pizza box looking all forlorn. It’s the best shot in the film.

Max lays on the moves – cheap jokes and the line “Between love and madness lies OBSESSION!” Is Max the guy who made the Obsession cologne for Calvin Klein? Or does he just like to say the title of the film he’s in, because he’s all powerful and knows everything including that he’s just a movie character? Perhaps he enjoys reciting fortune cookie statements.

Whatever the cause, the line is enough to make her panties melt off and the loving to begin. How much is his cheap jokes and how much is his rich successful obnoxious persona one can’t really say.

The next morning she’s dropped off at home by the driver, and Jake has been sitting all night in a car outside her house. Question: have to pee at any point during his all night car stakeout? Because that’s the kind of things I think about. Jake is like “All night?” and they pretty much break up right there.

By the next date for Max Sophie wears a dress as requested. He also gives her a gift – fishnet stockings and garter belt! That he puts on and then yanks her dress off.

Sophie puts her dress back on and declares she’s going out because she just looks too damn good to stay home, and asks if he’s coming. Max is all shocked she’s changing the plans, but he runs to the door to follow her. She’s waiting there and soon they are doing 50 shades of lay on the couch.

Max goes to work, leaving her some more clothes and tells her to feel free to stay. Thus begins a procession of sexy scenarios: getting tied up in bed, sex at a fancy restaurant, sexy chess, sleeping in a bed.

Max hears Sophie on the phone with a male friend, and he becomes super mean jealous and goes to work, telling her to stay at her place tonight. Hey, this scenario isn’t sexy!

Sophie barges into his work office and is like “How dare you!” Max is like “Let me show you how you hurt me!” and grabs his secretary Lia and starts making out with her and pulling her top off, then snarling that Sophie can’t make vague plans with other men and to get out.

“I hate you!” says Sophie.
“If you hated me you wouldn’t be here!” Max retorts.
“But I do hate you!” Sophie declares.

Then Max gets all rapey on her…and soon they’re consensually boning on the table. Way to get creepy, movie that already has a few creepy parts!

Sophie then she goes home to drink in the dark and not answer her phone. For several days. It’s like that montage in Twilight: New Moon. Possibility.

Sophie breaks out her MacBook with Mac symbol taped over and begins writing and writing and writing.

Max shows up at her door wearing Dexter-style buttoned long-sleeve and acting all casual and shy. It’s one of the few moments Jason Sarcinelli acts like a real guy and not a huge mean tool. Too bad he’s so good at being a huge mean tool, he might get some parts with more meat on them otherwise. Sophie’s been writing a novel about them.

Max wants her back, but Sophie says she lost herself and doesn’t want to do it again. Then Max counters by saying he’s lost and she took him with her, that she’s confident and he’s not. He apologizes for hurting her and goes to leave, and even though she loved him he has to go.

Later Sophie brings back Jake! Now they are together again and have some second chance sex. I give them two months.

Rated 6/10 (logo, art, more art, real art, door art, long art)

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