HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN

(director/writer: Renee Webster; cinematographer: Ben Nott; editor: Merlin Eden; music: Guy Gross; cast: Sally Phillips (Gina), Cameron Daddo (Adrian), Erik Thomson (Steve), Alexander England (Tom), Ryan Johnson (Anthony),Tasma Walton (Monique); Runtime: 107; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Tania Chambers/Judi Levine; Brainstorm Media/Such Much Films; 2022-Australia)

“Too cutesy for its own good.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Aussie filmmaker Renee Webster in her debut sets her comedy in Western Australia. Its concept is that there are fit middle-aged women not getting enough sex because they’re ashamed to ask for it.

On her birthday the married Gina (Sally Phillips) receives from her lawyer hubby (Cameron Daddo) a birthday card and from her daughter Face Time. Her girlfriends from her swim club send over a hunky male stripper Tom (Alexander England) to perform for her or honor any other requests. The tired Gina asks him to clean the house. Afterwards she gets the bright idea of starting a cleaning company with male strippers for women that combines house cleaning with orgasms for the ladies, She gives Tom a ten percent cut in her business. Answering the phones is the older gent Steve (Erik Thompson), whom she will romance when hubby remains unresponsive.

Gina gets the time when her husbands’ law firm lays her off as they “restructure” and her career-minded hubby has no time for her after made a partner in the firm.

The film was inspired by an actual sex service in Australia.

Though the premise of the film is risque, it’s not sexually graphic, a bit too uptight for a supposedly sex comedy, annoys as it takes too many pokes at those it wants to empower and is too cutesy for its own good.

REVIEWED ON 9/1/2022  GRADE:  C+