Wanderlust

Dr. Chauntelle does not use a rating system. Five stars is a default setting only.

Stormy Daniels is not all humor and light, not all poignant points relayed via buddy comedies and cute capers. Sometimes, Stormy gets pretty intense. Wicked Pictures' Wanderlust (2013) is an example of intense Stormy... Here's the synopsis: A series of bad choices, a less than desirable home life and a recent brush with the law have 19 year-old Riley (Rilynn Rae) desperate for a way out. With dreams of a better life, she heads to Hollywood where she comes to realize that the "grass isn't always greener." Disillusioned, she packs her bag and takes off once again. Will Riley find out what she's looking for or will she be just another statistic? Meh!! Wanderlust is a rough film that explores some pretty rough themes - abuse, nasty parenting (and no parenting at all), rejection, fear, street youth poverty, and sexual exploitation to name a few. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but Riley doesn't have much in terms of choices (and when she does, she seems to make all the wrong ones). And, just like in real life, there's no fairy godmother or millionaire benefactor to bail her out. I enjoyed Wanderlust for its grit and for its willingness to show us that everything doesn't always wind up perfect... or even just OK. Wanderlust, however, is not Stormy's best film - the script is not as tight and the execution is not as seamless as some of her other projects. There were a couple moments were details felt a bit tacked on (abortion?), some of the casting felt like star-dropping (like name dropping, only different), and one of the sex scenes in particular felt inserted and absolutely superfluous. Plus the title didn't really fit ? to me, wanderlust seems like something you want, not something you're into. And, both by her own hand and by circumstances well beyond her control, Riley was cornered into hitting the road. But these things do not make Wanderlust bad. In fact, I think the effort to engage and work through the very serious, real-world types of issues Riley faces is commendable. I imagine it's not an easy endeavor, and I haven't seen another film that's done it better. Some additional points... Steven St. Croix was horrifyingly excellent as Riley's dad. He's only on-screen acting for a few moments (longer fucking), but good god was he convincing. Richie Calhoun's character was especially clever - a guy with some sort of mainstream film/TV/media-type job who hustles adult casting on the side. I loved how his character showed the sleazy side adult and mainstream entertainment. Richie pulled off skeevy Hollywood douchebag flawlessly. Rilynn Rae was an interesting casting choice, and she did an excellent job. Her audition scene was masterful!!

Recommended for: Stormy fans, Rilynn Rae fans, and anyone interested in an unflinching look at some very serious social issues.