LOVERBOY

US, 1989, 98 minutes, Colour.
Patrick Dempsey, Kate Jackson, Robert Ginty, Nancy Valen, Dylan Walsh, Barbara Carrera, Carrie Fisher, Kirsty Alley.
Directed by Joan Micklin Silver.

Loverboy is a strange choice for director Joan Micklin Silver, director of the movie Hester Street and the charming Crossing Delancey. This is a French-style sex farce, an amoral attitude towards life and sex.

It is a star vehicle for Patrick Dempsey who starred in The Woo Woo Kid and Can't Buy Me Love. Kate Jackson and Robert Ginty are his parents, Kirsty Alley and Barbara Carrera and Carrie Fisher are women lover boy helps.

The film focuses on a young man in college, his summer break, his being attracted (unaccountably) to older women and his servicing them as he delivered pizzas. At times the farce is frantic, reminiscent of French bedroom farce. However, the film is thin and silly rather than charming. The moralising is ending tacked on - which just touches the surface of what had gone before, to Loverboy's surpriser.

1. Sex comedy, sex farce?

2. The amoral tone? Randy and his attitude towards life, relationships, The moralising at the end, his facing Jenny, explaining what had happened, giving the money back?

3. Los Angeles, homes and high society, fashion? Musical score?

4. The opening with Randy as punk, the party, his friends and their partying, Jenny and her disgust? Her attack on him? His poor grades? Keeping Jenny secret from his parents? His father and his work, not knowing Jenny, and taking her case?

5. The sketch of Randy's parents: Joe and Diane, married 20 years, their concern about Randy and his studies, the courses, making him go to work, the mistaken information about the coat from Alex and Tony, thinking that he was gay, misinterpreting the suitcase with Jenny's clothes, their concern? The work, the father out at night, the fights? Diane and her stress, getting the phone number, going to the motel, her backing out, Tony delivering the pizza and chasing her on the bike? The party, the, fights and reconciliation?

6. Randy and his age, living with Jenny, at college? The summer job, his eyeing the girls, following the woman into the shop, the encounter with Ellen, sending the clothes, giving him the money, the sexual encounter, the goodbye? His decision to make money for his course -from women? The Japanese woman and her story about her husband? His many attempts to see Joyce, her wanting only dancing, his learning how to dance for her? Monica and the photography, her muscle-building husband? The collage of the other women? The effect? Sal as the bookkeeper?

7. The change in Randy, sexual experience, in understanding women, tender, leaving the rose, dancing like Fred Astaire? His phone calls to Jenny and her change of heart? Sal at the shop, his support of Randy's plan, keeping the accounts? Tony with the girls, the encounter with Diane, chasing her? The owner and his prosperity? Jory, his claiming Jenny, sneering at Randy, approaching Jenny and her rejection of him? The irony of his being mistaken for the sex man, being beaten up by the husbands?.

9. The point being made about the women, their behaviour, the payment, cheques?

10. Harry, his relationship with his wife, Joe building the factory, the water, having to stay the night there, Joe's secretary there, answering the phone? The damage, Diane misinterpreting? Harry returning, the robot and his wife? Going to Dr Palmer, the operation, the irony of his concern about his wife? Going to find the muscle-builder? Avenging themselves?

11. Randy, his stances, fears, the dreams? The effect, the farcical situations Going with the Pizza, discovering his mother, wanting to save her? Meeting Jenny, her upset? His confession to her - and her response? Change of heart, giving the money back?

12. American farce, situations and timing? What had Randy learnt? His future?