Too much of everything

A lot of fun.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Straight-laced prep student James (a fine and likable performance by Julian Morris) becomes completely infatuated with enticing exotic dancer Whirlygirl (well played with unexpected depth and expected sexy aplomb by ravishing blonde Monet Mazur) and decides to risk everything by following the babe to New York City. So far, so familiar. But thankfully director Jim Wilson and writer Peter McCormack eschew crude lowbrow humor in favor of a pleasant and touching examination of morality and responsibility in which both main characters help each other evolve into better people. James in particular makes for an appealing protagonist as he learns to shed his inhibitions and be more spontaneous. Moreover, Mazur does a stellar job of portraying the humanity and vulnerability lurking just beneath the surface of the titular gal's shallow party girl facade. In addition, there are sturdy supporting contributions by J.A.Q. as James' loyal roommate Raoul, Rob Sullivan as hard-nosed adviser Mr. McTavish, and Woody Boley as obsessed stalker Monty. Christo Bakalov's sharp cinematography provides a nice handsome look. Both the cool soundtrack and Deborah Lurie's neatly percolating score keep things bubbling along. Best of all, this movie is done with real heart and sincerity. A cute little sleeper.

"Whirlygirl" is a unique film in one major respect. The misadventures of university student James (Julian Morris) are not that special. Some of the banter between James and his university friends is fun to watch, but those scenes are few and far in between. Instead the film gambles on the appeal of Monet Mazur's main character, the mysterious "Whirlygirl," who is supposed to be so enchanting and irresistible to us (as she is to James) that we can excuse and even overlook the lack of plot in this entire film. Whirlygirl is meant to represent every guy's image of an irresistible beauty from high school or university who makes our hearts flutter and every moment of our existence electrifying and profoundly meaningful. This film's main ambition and its great gamble is to accomplish that very feat with Monet Mazur's "Whirlygirl."Yet the gamble, for the most part, does not pay off. Monet Mazur gives only a capable performance as the "Whirlygirl," when she needs to give us an extraordinary one that matches up to her character's legendary reputation as a mysterious, intriguing and enchanting beauty. For a film that relies so much on character for its appeal, Monet Mazur's "Whirlygirl" is surprisingly lacking in the kind of character that can leave us with a lasting impression. This failure can be attributed partly to Monet Mazur's only capable acting (when she really needed to be extraordinary) and also to the fact that the script does not give her much to do.Perhaps if another actress was given the part of the "Whirlygirl" and if the screenplay writers gave more thought to further developing the "Whirlygirl" character, then this film would actually be good. Instead, "Whirlygirl" has the potential of a great film, but falls short of realizing it.

Whirleygirl stars Julian Morris as a student athlete at a prestigious academy who falls for a stripper who comes to the school to perform. Morris is the straight laced student who figures out how to get a stripper on the grounds to perform. As she is dancing she notices him and gives him a kiss and steals a valuable memento off of him. He actually tracks her down to retrieve his belongings and romance ensues. This is definitely a take off of "Risky Business" but is nice in its own way. Monet Mazur plays the stripper and she does a good job. Morris also does a good job as the good guy torn by his attraction to the free spirted "whirley girl". This is an OK drama and worth viewing.

Whirlygirl was premiered two nights ago at the New Haven Film Festival. The film was shot largely in New Haven, especially the New York scenes. The bulk of director Jim Wilson's film experience has come from producing 6 Kevin Costner films: Revenge, Dances With Wolves, The Bodyguard, Wyatt Earp, The Postman, and Message in a Bottle. So perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to find wooden acting and poor writing in this film, even though Mr. Costner is nowhere to be found. Monet Mazur is certainly beautiful, but her performance is embarrassingly hammy; and the script is, in places, just terrible. But the guys aren't bad, and the scenes in the boys' school are fun. And Fran Kranz is always enjoyable to watch.