The Foxy Merkins (2013)
Two lesbian hookers wind their way through a world of bargain-hunting housewives and double-dealing conservative women in this buddy comedy, an homage to and riff on iconic male hustler films. Margaret is a down-on-her-luck hooker in training, who meets up with Jo, a beautiful and self-assured grifter from a wealthy family and an expert on servicing women, even as she considers herself proudly heterosexual. The film follows their adventures together on the street, through encounters with husky-voiced seductresses, mumbling erotic accessory salesmen and shopaholic swingers. Navigating the bizarre fetishes and sexual needs of their 'dates' brings into focus the hilarious and pathetic disparity between the two hookers, fellow travelers who will share the road together but only for a while.
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This offbeat movie follows the adventures of a chunky, past-her-prime lesbian hooker in Manhattan. The situations she encounters are even more implausible than the character herself. Thanks to clever writing, the premise sets us up for disarmingly funny scenes and one-liners both. And while there's no danger that the main characters and events will be confused with real ones, we are led to some truths about human resilience and about how New Yorkers deal with the challenges of daily life. The gritty indie feel is just right for this amusing, touching lesson in how to enjoy life by not taking oneself too seriously.
We saw this at the BAM Cinemafest, and the crowd really enjoyed it overall. The adventures, or more like the misadventures of Margaret and her wise streetwalker "mentor" were hilarious, touching, and at times, disturbing. There is a good amount of New York in the film, not just that it was shot in the city, but also that it really captured the people of the city very well (I am not going to say in an evenly distributed, all-inclusive manner, since this is not possible due to the subject matter). Margaret's persistent naiveté severely contrasts the wise, cunning, and criminal attitude of the city and its residents, but perhaps it brings out the best in the people she meets and befriends, too. No NY film is complete without making fun of New Jersey, and The Foxy Merkins does this exceptionally well, too. Overall, a very fun, adult comedy about serious matters. At its heart, a story of friendship and adulthood.