Rags 2 Riches

I don't know how many regular readers of our reviews here on Adult DVD Empire know the normal schedule for an adult DVD production, but most tend to be shot in just a few days, if even that long. That means the main focus is on getting the sex filmed, and things like plot and acting often take a backseat.

For most films, this kind of rushing is fine, since, generally speaking, the plots are always fairly lame and when you are an adult actor, your actual acting ability isn't high on the list of things that most producers and directors look for. But in the case of Rags 2 Riches, directed by Zorba Hitchcock and starring April and Bobby Vitale, I found myself wishing that a little extra time and attention was given to the acting portion of the video...this is almost (but not quite) a great adult movie.

The story has been told before both in adult and in mainstream work. The father is a wealthy businessman who wants his son to marry into a family equally rich, but the son is in love with a penniless girl. Of course, this being porn, you can have a lot more fun with the situations, as we actually get to see the rich fiancée making out with both the son and his old man, and some of the dirty lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Dave Cummings, who plays the father, is so good in his role as the evil father, he was actually convincing in his reasons for wanting his son to marry for money instead of love. However, I did see some flaws in his performance (he at times looked like he was reciting memorized dialogue instead of acting natural) that could have been corrected with just one or two more takes. As it is however, Mr. Cummings (who I have really only seen before in those Take My Wife Please gonzo videos) proves that he possesses some genuine acting skill here, and it's a shame someone on the set didn't recognize it and put the time in for his performance to really stand out.

Bobby Vitale, who plays the son, doesn't shine as bright as Cummings, but he holds his own quite nicely and has some genuinely realistic feeling scenes. April plays the wife to be, and she does exactly what is required of her role: being sexy and slutty at the same time. She has a nice scene with Bobby early in the film, a lesbian encounter with Monica Mayhem (in perhaps the only scene that doesn't really have much to do with the story), and a surprisingly good scene blowing Dave at the very end of the film.

Other segments include Joel Lawrence making out with one of my personal favorites, Aurora Snow; and a threesome late in the film between Tyce Bune, Jenna Davis and Nikita Denise.

The video and audio are above average on this disc, although I did notice a few small glitches in the video and the dialogue of the actors was sometimes low, depending on where the scene was taking place. The bonus features are also above average and include an 18-minute behind the scenes featurette, a slide show, and a nice number of previews on the B-Side of the DVD.

I won't give away the choice Bobby's character makes in this film, but ask yourself this question: If given the choice would you desert your family for a so-so looking girlfriend, or get married to April and have enough money to swim in? Yeah, that was my choice too!