Movie Review: Lap Dance (2014)

Synopsis: While driving to Los Angeles with her fiancé, Kevin, aspiring actress Monica stops in Houston, Texas to visit her father and learns he is dying from cancer.  Wanting to make sure her dad is as comfortable as possible in his final weeks; Monica agrees to pay the hospital expenses but soon discovers the only way to make the money they need is as an exotic dancer. Kevin reluctantly agrees and Monica is soon bringing in hundreds of dollars per night. However, as she forms a bond with one of her patrons, Chicago, jealousy and suspicion begin to tear the young couple apart.

Who's in it? The movie stars Ali Cobrin, Robert Hoffman, Datari Turner, Carmen Electra and Briana Evigan.

Review: My wife and I were a bit wiped out after our day trip yesterday and as we sat down on the couch with dinner, I wound up picking out the movie Lap Dance simply because it was the first film I came across. While I had some doubts about the film at first, it ended up being a surprisingly good movie.

The movie does a solid job portraying both the good and the bad when it comes to exotic dancing. The women, especially Monica (Cobrin) made a lot of money, but it came at a price. It was especially interesting to see just how fast the ground rules Monica and Kevin (Hoffman) had agreed to were quickly abandoned in exchange for cash.

I liked how the movie found a balance when it came to the inevitable relationship issues that came with her new job. Yes, Kevin was jealous and sometimes assumed things he shouldn't have been assuming. However, at the same time, Monica was lying to her fiancé about parties she was attending and a trip she took to Los Angeles without him. It was kind of easy to see why he had a hard time trusting her as a result. Plus, Monica completely forgetting about her sick father wasn't exactly scoring points in her favor. 

One character, in particular, who also intrigued me was Chicago (Turner). It was hard to get a good read on him because, while he seemed like the kind of guy who treated all women as his property and there were certainly warning signs, it was unclear what his end game was with Monica considering he wasn't (at least at first) interested in seeing her dance for him, sleep with him, etc., and was just giving her a lot of money in exchange for conversations and serving as his occasional arm candy. It felt like he was grooming her but at the same I didn't want to prejudge him because he might have just wanted to help her out.

The other dancers added a bit to the movie as well, especially as Monica became more successful and some, like Lexus (Electra) wanted to sabotage her while others seemed content trying to take advantage of the situation by sleeping with Kevin. It was a lot of pieces that made it hard to tell who could be trusted.

My only real complaint about the movie is the ending is a bit predictable and doesn't really address any consequences for the main characters' actions (including the potential for STDs). However, since the movie is apparently based on a true story, I'll give that a pass. 

Final Opinion: A word of warning, if you're planning on watching this hoping to see a lot of nudity and sex, you'll be somewhat disappointed. However, if you want a good drama, it's worth taking the time to watch.

My Grade: A

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