Customer Reviews

Exit to Eden [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

First, a caveat: if you liked the Anne Rice novel this film is loosely based on, you probably won't like the film.

<I>Exit to Eden</I> is a wonderful, lighthearted introduction to the world of BDSM. Unlike Rice's novel, the BDSM in the film is realistic, and the viewer is introduced to elements of real-life BDSM like safewords, mutual consent, and commitment to safety, that most BDSM fiction sorely lacks.

The casting was inspired, particularly of Dana Delany, Rosie O'Donnell, and Paul Mercurio, who like the people i play with are real people behind the leather facade.

Those who are seriously into the scene might find this movie a little tame, with only a couple of real scenes and "bondage" that can easily be escaped from. But the curious will find it a safe and unthreatening introduction to a very real and viable lifestyle. The scene with Lisa, Elliot, and the hairbrush rang very true on an emotional level--and i don't care what anyone says, the scene with Elliot in Mistress Lisa's bath was HOT.

There are only a few complaints i would make. Unlike the real BDSM community (or the novel), there's no hint of homoeroticism in the film. The real-life scene is very pansexual, with people of all orientations sharing space. And the casting of Richard was terrible. Most of all, i wish a lot more screen time had been devoted to Lisa's relationship with Diana, whose heady mix of intimacy and formal role has been an inspiration for my own relationship.

But those are very minor complaints. Overall it's a delightful film, one i've watched again and again over the years. If i were ever to come out to my family about being into BDSM, i would start with having them watch this movie.

OK...let's get right to the point. This movie is not for the easily embarrassed and definitely not for children. It is funny and unexpected...at least at first viewing...and that makes it well worth seeing at least one time.

The movie falters in that the director cannot make up his mind: is this a comedy? is this a thriller? is this soft porn? The lack of a consistent target leaves the viewer rather disoriented.

Still...(and I read the bondage person's opinion earlier in the list of reviews)...the hairbrush scene is NOT TYPICAL for standard American films. My wife and I saw it first in a theater (on the first or second day of release), and there was NOT A SOUND during that scene...and I stole a quick enough glance around to see that everyone was glued to screen. Not too common an event for this sort of film.

Finally...those of you who don't want to see an average sized woman in skimpy outfits need a reality check...Not everyone is a size 4 with plastic-surgeon enhanced breasts. Rosie is not my ideal "babe" but she sure as heck is real; and that is worth something, too.

I found the entire concept funny; whether intentional or not, this movie does have some gags going for it, thanks to O'Donnell's wisecracks, Ackroyd's visual hamming, and the situational humor. I was pleased to see that it doesn't take itself as seriously (all the time) as some viewers expected. Lighten up, y'all! Equating a fairly mild fetish (at least as presented here, with glamourized sugar-coating and wink-wink-nudge-nudge abounding) with a serious "Alternative Lifestyle Choice" is just pompous. Maybe some people need to get over their preoccupations with their lower chakras? And speaking of which, any movie with the lovely Dana Delany au naturel automatically gains an extra star. Maybe two.

Loosely based on Anne Rice's same-named book (which I haven't read yet, so I can't compare the two), "Exit to Eden" is a humorous and erotic movie about an Australian photojournalist, Elliot Slater (Paul Mercurio), living in California, who goes to a S&M fantasy island resort for some sexual experimentation. There he becomes a citizen (a slave) and tries to win the guarded heart of the head dominatrix, Mistress Lisa (Dana Delany).

Meanwhile, Detectives Sheila Kingston (Rosie O'Donnell) and Fred Lavery (Dan Aykroyd) are trying to nab a couple of South American diamond smugglers: Nina (Iman) and Omar (Stuart Wilson). When the latter two head for Eden in order to steal the pictures Elliot took of them at the airport, Sheila and Fred follow in pursuit, but undercover: she as a guest, and he as the maintenance man. It's a wild goose chase after that, with Elliot chasing Lisa, the cops chasing the crooks and Elliot, and the crooks chasing Elliot--everybody basically in their undies all the while.

"Exit to Eden" is a mishmash of genres--involving detective work, romance, and erotica--but mostly it's a comedy, which lightens the load on a dark topic such as BDSM. Sheila is the main comedic relief, as well as the narrator, but I felt the movie was more about the relationship between Elliot and Lisa, a pairing I thought was believable and enjoyable--one most viewers will be cheering for from the beginning. I was also pleased that Sheila got her own chance at romance with her private citizen, Tommy (Sean O'Bryan), since she was, at times, reduced to just being the chubby jokester. Even so, her one-liners are part of what made this movie memorable for me, e.g. "We're the only two people on this island without handcuffs," as well as in the same scene where she's making fun of Nina's accent.

"Exit to Eden" is yet another favorite guilty pleasure of mine. If you like sex comedies, then you'll probably enjoy this movie. It's all in good fun. Good soundtrack, too. Rated R for--well, I'm sure you can guess.

Firsthand, as a movie in itself, this is [...]. The original novel by Anne Rice titled "Exit to Eden" plunged fearlessly into the depths of an alternate sexual lifestyle, bringing S&M from a shady dungeon into the light of an island paradise where people were given the chance to explore and understand their sexual fantasies in a safe and open environment. The journey toward sexual understanding (and understanding of the self) that Lisa the dominatrix, and Elliot, her slave, find themselves on, is at the forefront.

In the film, these two characters take on supporting roles in a version of the story that is embarrassed and uncomfortable with its own premise and uses sad, insecure humor to cover it. Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell are brought in as two undercover cops who stand around like a couple of uncomfortable teenagers who have snuck into a sex club, making cheesy, lame jokes about the island and what it is there for. The island itself is reduced to a poofy, kink theme park of masters and slaves who do not delve into their curiosities so much as tiptoe around them, half the time too shy to say the word "sex." In other words, if you are interested in S&M or are looking for a movie that does this lifestyle justice, or for that matter makes an interesting speculation on sexuality of any kind, look elsewhere.

The best thing that this movie his to offer is the generous amount of screentime given to hot, naked bodies, earning it the category soft-core porn. Dana Delaney as Lisa(the most unconvincing dominatrix it is humanly possible to imagine) does take her clothes off, and Australian actor Paul Mercurio as Elliot, gives the audience a benevolent number of chances to see his naked [...]. This (for me) is actually the true highlight of the movie, and Mercurio gets naked enough to make it worth watching. The most erotic seen in the film is when Lisa ties up Elliot (or rather, wraps some velvet curtain cords around his hands one or two times) and spanks him with a hairbrush (well it's more like a tap than a spank). Okay, so this is not hardcore S&M by any means, but if you are interested in some soft-core porn and you have a thing for guys' butts (and believe me, Paul Mercurio's is worth seeing) than this movie is definitly worth taking a look at. My advice: speed through the parts with Rosie O'Donnell to get to Paul Mercurio.

Exit to Eden was an ok movie, never meant to be a blockbuster in the first place.

I always enjoyed seeing Dana Delany's work and voice work, and this movie captured her in a whole new light. Unlike Live Nude Girls, this focused alot around her so that was a plus for me.

Though I gotta admit the comedy scenes with Dan and Rosie gets a little silly after a while. However about Rosie looking skimpy, I didn't mind at all! She looked pretty good, but if she dressed like that NOW would be kinda scary.

I liked the movie, it's very light porn which I like and some sense of romance between Elliot and Mistress Lisa. And to be blunt, Paul Mercurio was lucky enough to have a scene where he performed oral sex on Dana Delany. One of my biggest desires as well. Plus seeing Dana in full frontal nude is worth the price of the movie. Love it or hate it.

Ok, if you're looking for a good Anne Rice adaptation, stick to Interview with the Vampire since about all they kept from Rice's text were the names. If you are looking for a good comedy this is one to consider if you're open minded.

The story centers around an "kinky" sex resort in which people go to fufil fantasies surrounding Sadomasochism (SM), Bondage/Discipline (BD), and Dominance/Submission (DS). Interwoven into this plot is a diamond smuggler out to kill plot which makes the film rather amusing.

The cast of main characters is excellent. Dana Delaney portrays a young mistress who is terrified to step outside that role in reality. Paul Mercurio plays an Australian hunk who is getting in touch with his sexual desires and is hesitant to cross the threshold into that realm and admit he likes it. Rosie O'Donnel is an excellent cop with a nice wit and always ready to take a shot at with whomever. Aykroyd's character can be annoying at times, but he is fun to watch. The gong says it all.

Props an costuming are excellent. The whips are provided by Heartwood Whips of Passion and unfortunatly were never used on anyone durng filming (their loss). Rosie O'Donnel gets a chance to show us a rare side and put on some "bondage" clothing. What is nice is she manages to do it very well for a woman who isn't an emaciated gerbil like some of the other twigs we see on the screen.

If you are looking for a cutting edge comedy, go somewhere else. If you are looking for a comedy that is genuinely funny within its context, this is one you should consider checking out.

I have to admit that I really can not judge Exit to Eden properly. On one hand, I was very much disappointed by what Gary Marshall has managed to do, turning a serious study of a dark and complex aspect of human sexuality, and one of the most misunderstood, SM relationships, and turning it into a farce!On the other hand the presence of the gorgeous Dana Delany playing the part of the Mistress to near perfection makes it a must buy. I have to say that my appreciation of gorgeous women got the better of the cinematic critic and lover in me, and I ended up buying the film!!
I don't have a problem with the film per se, although Marshall is a mediocre director at best (his best films as director are Princess Diaries and the setimentally drenched Pretty Woman but still no masterpieces),and the whole film is watchable.
Maybe the subject was too taboo to be filmed as intended, so making it a light comedy with some known talented comedians like Ackroyd and O'Donnel, will take some of the heat off, and turn it into a mainstream movie. It needs lots of courage and and an adventurous director and producer to remake Jaeckin's Stoy of O or Shroeder's Maitresse these days, and the closest film that came close to seriously study SM relationships on screen recently is the Korean art house (ie little seen) film Lies,(not forgetting the 'painfully' unwatchable British comedy Preaching to the Perverted( with a delightfully 'kinky' Guinevere Turner as the 'Mistress')
Now back to Exit to Eden, the other saving grace of the movie, is the casting except maybe for Paul Mercurio.He is not a bad actor, yet the way his character was portrayed in the film is quite disappointing. His attitude towards this whole experience is kind of 'I dont belong here and I dont like these 'games' one bit but I am here anyway to seduce the chief 'Mistress'..which made me think 'what are you doing here in the first place??!! A bit annoying.
So Exit To Eden can be more enjoyed if you forget Anne Rice's book for a moment, and just watch it as a lighthearted comedy with Dana Delany as sexy as she ever was,(hence my three stars) baring in the process more than she ever did in any of her roles.
The DVD is of excellent quality and the making of segment is interesting, esp Dana Delany's interview expressing her enjoyment at playing this character, which was very sexy!.
So if anything, get this movie if you like Dana Delany, and if you don't mind a bit of ligth fantasy on the side..

This bright, light, delightful movie has too often been panned. It deserves more attention.

Though not a definitive version of Anne Rice's original book, the movie serves it just about as well as a commercial film could. The SM scenes are toned down, but are hardly forgotten, and are treated with sympathy and imagination.

The detective subplot, added for the film, is strong and humorous. Ackroyd (often unbearable) does well, and O'Donnell is quite strong--and funny--and sympathetic.

The film does not cast judgement on its subject matter, nor does in impel that judgement on the viewer.

Mercurio has that brilliance we have come to expect after "Strictly Ballroom."

An adult entertainment, to be sure, but a worthy one.

This movie was different. Is that good, you may ask? I think so. I've never seen a movie similar to it. I actually thought Rosie and Dan's dry sense of humor worked. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. There is a lot of nudity, so PLEASE do not let the children walk in while you're watching. It had a good bit of romance and that was the lovely part. You have Dan, who was scared of sex, and after viewing the goings-on at Eden, decides to step up his game, so to speak. This is a good movie in my opinion and I think anyone who has an OPEN MIND going into the viewing will enjoy it! Thanx!