Member Reviews
Carter Cruise is the Meryl Streep of porn!
The Story: During her Freshman year of college, Madison Presley (Carter Cruise) thought she had met the love of her life when she started dating handsome and well-endowed football player Josh Rochette. Sadly, their love was actually just a giant prank orchestrated by a frat. Devastated by Josh's betrayal, Madison spends the next three years heartbroken while trying to move past it with the help of her friends. But when Josh suddenly comes back into Madison's life, a wiser, older and more jaded Madison is faced with the decision of whether or not to give him a second chance. The story is simple yet compelling because it's so relatable. Who hasn't crossed paths with a former lover that's wronged them and wondered whether or not they deserve a second chance?
At times, the story relies on exposition to move itself along, but I feel like that's inevitable in a 2-hour movie that needs to find time for 5 scintillating sex scenes. Overall, it's an interesting character study as you watch Josh and Madison reflect on their relationship, where they've ended up and where their goals will lead them. This is not your average porn movie plot-line. It's genuinely captivating.
The Acting: By in large, pornstars are not good actors. Sorry, that's not true. They are good actors if you count acting like you're sexually aroused and having earth-shattering orgasms as acting (which you should). What I meant to say was... By in large, pornstars are not good at speaking their lines in a natural, convincing way. Sadly, Second Chances is not totally immune to this systemic problem with porn acting. There are moments where the actors mispronounce words, mumble slightly and hit beats that make the line delivery awkward. But compared to most porn movies, Second Chances is miles ahead in this department. I'm just pointing it out to make this review as unbiased as possible. You know who doesn't ever suffer from this problem of poor line delivery? Jessa Rhodes and Carter Cruise. These girls are either trained actors or natural acting talents. I was especially impressed with Carter Cruise's acting ability since this was the first time I'd ever seen her in a porn movie with a plot. Whenever Carter Cruise is on screen, she's absolutely electric. Watching her flashback sex scene in particular, you feel like you're watching a real couple madly in love rather than two actors playing two fictional characters. You just have to see her in action to believe it. Carter Cruise is so good that I'm inclined to bestow the title of "Meryl Streep of Porn" onto her. But that's because Carter Cruise is a good actress and sexy like young Meryl Streep.
The Sex: So the story and the acting in Second Chances is above porn movie standards, but how does that affect the sex? This might sound crazy but...IT MAKES THE SEX EVEN HOTTER. Is that crazy? It shouldn't be. Strangers fucking rough is cool, but when you can contextualize the sex you're seeing on screen, when you understand what the sex means, it's hotter. At least for me it is. Since Second Chances is a release from New Sensations Romance series, the goal of the movie is to focus on sensuality and passion. It's supposed to appeal as much to men as it does women. In turn, this makes the sex scenes start slower than your average porn movie. There's more emphasis put on foreplay than your average porn movie. As a result, the slow-burning sex scenes gradually get more intense because an atmosphere of passion has been established. The sex has an arc to it, which is a credit to the talent of Jacky St. James and Eddie Powell as directors. As you would expect, Allie Haze and Jessa Rhodes both have spectacular sex scenes, but it's Carter Cruise's final two scenes that steal the show. If this girl isn't already the hottest thing in the porn industry, she will be soon.