Novel Desires

A stilted male writer, Brian, is paired with a more carefree female associate to try to improve their stories. Meanwhile, he allows a sexy girl-friend to go away frustrated, and he shyly slides through other opportunities for relationships. Two major subplots arise: Brian's career path and his social life.

At work, Brian and his new associate argue about various plot lines, including some nicely depicted sexual encounters. Brian wants to focus more on plot and character development, while his associate prefers to highlight relational interactions, such as the sexual escapades for which we watch these soft porn vehicles.

The women are lovely, but the acting corps is not very convincing. Part of the fault may lie in the writing and direction, as the plot is weak and sometimes suffers in transition. And poor Brian! We can't really believe that he is that clueless. His social reticence frustrates us viewers, and we want to jump in and help him!

Story: 3/10. Sex 5/10. Watch for the skin, not for great acting and writing.