Wild Orchid (1990)

The biggest thing about this movie is how beautiful it is. Yes, symbols are somehow too transparent, plot and music a bit cheesy,a bit too superficial, but it is so beautiful that you kinda forget those things. actors are beautiful , setting is beautiful, sex scenes are beautiful. Very sensual, but making-love-in-the-light-of-a-setting-sun-on-the-beach kinda way. however the funny thing is that you will enjoy the film nevertheless and not only because of sex, but somehow this film is appealing. thought you understand the flaws of this film, you still get aesthetic pleasure on some basic, unspoiled by good taste and good movies level. I like this film because it proves that good film can be made in any genre. You should remember that this is an erotic film. otherwise, if you expect an independent film about love, you should watch something else.

OK...maybe it's not the best dialog...maybe it's not the best screenplay...maybe it's not several things!One thing is for sure...I put this movie as one of the best movies I've seen in my life!There are several reasons for it. First when I was a little boy, I get dreaming that one day I would get rich as Wheeler...that never happened but the thought of being a hot guy in control of several business attract me! Then Wheeler's story itself...the poor guy that fought to live, got so afraid of female kind, the ones that are attracted to success, that started playing games just to keep things interesting (and not just suffer). Then the bad boy look...with the Harley ridding...sensual eyes and body expressions...making girls go nuts about him! A predator! I sure hell dream't to be like him! Then the soundtrack...oh my...the best erotic sounds ever...that main theme breaks me apart! Then you get to see an illusion of a paradisaic landscape...with restaurants that come up with erotic dances, masks and public sex! Then to see the woman you love having sex with another man...the voyeur side of it...but at the same time looking at her and knowing that she only wants to be with you and kind'a connects with you as if they were having sex together and the other guy pounding her doesn't count at all! Then the limousine ridding, seeing a middle aged woman having her burst of animalism with people watching in the next seat...Wheeler once again taking control of the situation having the pair make peace!Well...you have to see the movie to get the feel of it! But...one last thing...the final scenes when Wheeler finally let go of his control, and hugs her in passion...there's when it get's to me! Well...I tend to see Wheeler as the guy I wanted to be...but I never will!10 stars.Mickey Rourke was always one of my favorite actors...and if it weren't for his looks ruined by the ages...I always thought of him to be one of the best if not the best late century's leading role men!

This movie made a lasting impression on me and it stands up well over time. The pulsing soundtrack, the great visuals of Rio, the brooding charisma of Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rourke, just past his prime...not quite the handsome 1980s version. He is starting to show his age a bit, however he still has the charisma of his youth. He is a man who has great wealth but is missing the emotional connection. The story is about an unusual relationship that develops in Rio De Janeiro where a young lawyer (Otis) meets the real estate tycoon Rourke who takes her on a journey. This film is also about the backdrop, Rio De Janeiro, one of the world's most compelling cities. It is utilized to much effect by the director to create an atmosphere where it feels anything is possible and the characters get lost in their desires.One irony of the movie is that it cast an American model in the lead role instead of a Brazilian model. Brazil is famous for it's beautiful models, but I suppose none were considered for this 1990 movie.Movies with sex and nudity are routinely mocked but super-violent graphic movies are praised. This is an "erotic movie" and it definitely accomplishes one aspect, having model Carre Otis appearing very beautiful, appealing and sensual. The pulsing soundtrack sets the tone and the great visuals make it a fun escape to Brazil.

The first time Carrie Otis appears on screen, she is a newly minted international lawyer at a job interview. She's breathless, anxious, and sounds fake. I thought she was doing the character, but in reality that was it. That's all she has for the entire movie. And Mickey Rourke? Did someone whisper to him that he was the sexiest man alive, or what? He does his best with Feminine Fantasy Number One, the mysterious, masculine, empathic self-made man who is filthy rich, but he simply can't pull it off without a French accent. Jacqueline Bisset's character should carry a sign around her neck -- "Bitch." There's not much point in going on about the plot, something out of a shoebox, which provides at least some material for a travelogue, though there have been better attempts to capture Rio ("Black Orpheus," eg.). The story gives Rourke a hang up. He can't stand to be touched -- let alone the other thing. But, no fear, Otis overcomes his inhibitions by the power of her pulchritude so we can end with a nearly explicit coupling. He turns out to be robustly masculine after all. Is that what "wild orchid" means? I mean, is it some kind of terribly mangled PUN?Here are some examples of the dialog. "Sometimes we all have to lose ourselves a little in order to find ourselves." And Otis: "I'm sorry," to which Rourke replies, "It's not you -- it's me." A sex scene dissolves into shots of the morning surf rolling in.Otis does in fact have one thing going for her, a slight lisp, in addition to her strong and attractive face and her robust figure. Rourke, though some sort of cryptohypnotism, has talked a bickering German couple into coupling in the back of a stretch limo while he and Otis watch. "Tell me what you see?" Rourke asks her. "I thee two people having thexth." There isn't anything much except thexth behind this excuse to cash in on the profits of Rourke's previous soft-core movie with Kim Basinger, and maybe take along some of the nut from "Emanuelle," another story about a rich man introducing a sexy but deprived young woman into the glories of debauchery. It's fun watching someone penetrate the mystique, but as the sociologist Erving Goffman once observed, often the real secret behind the mystery is that there is no secret at all. Maybe that's why masks are so commonly seen in this film.But this is a feminine fantasy, co-written by a woman, and so instead of bikini-clad young blond girl leaping in slow motion to bat the volleyball, we have Speedo-clad young men leaping in slow motion to bat the volleyball. I prefer the girls but both images are pretty banal.