PINK MOTEL

US, 1982, 90 minutes, Colour.
Phyllis Diller, Slim Pickens.
Directed by Mike Mc Farland.

Pink Motel is a small-budget, R-rated sex story. It has its amusing moments, takes the motel as a place for various sex stories - and treats them with a blend of seriousness and spoof. The film was written by Jim Kouf, who went on to write such films as Class, Disorganised Crime. The surprising proprietors of the motel are Slim Pickens and Phyllis Diller. They have ambitions, and Slim has all kinds of ideas of making the motel upmarket, especially with pink decorations, even elephants. The supporting cast go through the motions - with touches of prurience as well as touches of pathos.

1.Small-budget sex comedy? Humour? Insights?

2.The motel, the rooms, the seedy atmosphere? The musical score?

3.The proprietors, their age and experience, running the motel, attitudes towards the guests, knowing what they were coming for, keeping up their standards? Going across the road - and putting up the price of the champagne? Plans for decorations? Their love for each other?

4.George and Tracy, their affair, George being married, Tracy and the two years? His being self-preoccupied, presuming on her? She wanting a genuine relationship? Their arguments, memories, the champagne? George and his chauvinistic behaviour? Tracy and her growing resentment? Putting the lipstick information on the back of his shirt? The break-up of the affair?

5.The youngsters, their coming to the motel, their fears, ignorance, talking about contraception, tentative with each other, consent? Preparations for the night, things going wrong, the contraceptives? The fumbled encounter?

6.The jock, the prostitute, his incessant talking about his athletics prowess, her becoming exasperated? His not picking up the message? Her laying down the law, walking out - her return, calming him down? The relationship?

7.Skip and Max, promiscuous, self-important? Their picking up Charlene and Marlene? The act they were putting on? The room, putting up the curtain? Max and his boasting about techniques? Skip listening to him? The girls and their performance? The bungling sexual encounters and the farcical aspects? The girls and their pretending to be innocent, wanting protestations from the men? Making them wait - and then robbing them and their car?

8.The blend of permissiveness and fable about sexual encounters?