Truly Dreadful Film

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Great topic about a boy coming of age lead by an older mature woman. The movie gathered much publicity not only in the US, and Europe, but also in Asia when it came out.The movie was made in the transitional time when the raw sexual expression of the '70s was starting to change to cuter expression of the '80s. It carries some of the sexual topics that were prevalent in the '70s, but the expression is much more juvenile and charming.Silvia Kristel was spot on for the role. She was by then well known for her role in the movie "Emanuelle". The movie was like the "JAWS" of that segment of the movie industry. Just like Richard Dreyfus became a big star, Krystel rightfully became a star.The movie doesn't have much story to it, but it's mostly about the comical scene of youngster getting seduced by an older woman. Even so, the movie keeps things entertaining, and it's a good movie even after all these years.I kind of liked the subplot that went between Phillip and Sherman too. A good movie that captures the culture of the early '80s.

Sweet and awkward sex-starved rich fifteen-year-old Phillip Fillmore (an engagingly gawky performance by Eric Brown) gets a crash course in love and sex from alluring French housekeeper Nicole Mallow (a perfectly cast Sylvia Kristel of "Emmanuelle" fame). Unbeknownst to Phillip, Nicole is being forced to seduce him by sleazy blackmailing chauffeur Lester Lewis (nicely played to the smarmy hilt by Howard Hesseman). While the central premise sounds distasteful, fortunately both director Alan Myerson and writer Dan Greenburg manage to make things breezy and silly enough to ensure that the story never becomes too raunchy or offensive. The overall good-natured tone along with the zippy pace and blithely lowbrow humor keep everything light and amusing throughout. Moreover, you just have to admire the giddy audacity of the filmmakers to treat statutory rape in such an amiably goofy and jocular manner; nowadays this basic male adolescent fantasy plot would be the subject of a totally serious Lifetime network made-for-TV feature. But back in the carefree early 80's people were more easygoing and hence this flick is a totally delightful tongue-in-cheek product of its time. Brown and Kristel make for appealing leads, with funny support from Patrick Piccininni as Phillip's fat horny best buddy Sherman and Ed Begley Jr. as Jack Travis, a tennis instructor who's persuaded by Phillip and Nicole to pose as a tough homicide detective. Supplying some nice eye candy are Pamela Jean Bryant as the fetching Joyce and Meridith Baer as uptight, but enticing teacher Miss Phipps. Of course, we also got a sizable smattering of yummy female nudity and some sizzling soft-core sex. Further galvanized by a first-rate rock soundtrack and given an attractive glossy look by cinematographer Jan de Bont, this baby hits the spot as a good deal of infectiously naughty fun.

I just finished watching this on TMC. I haven't seen it in its entirely since I was about "Philly's" age...20+ years ago (ugh). Anyway, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Yes, the acting isn't first-rate (except for Begley, Jr's); the production is B-movie; the subject is taboo; the plot's full of holes; but, it has great moments of humor, sensitivity, eroticism without being 'dirty'; and one of the best 80's soundtracks ever. This movie is about having fun. Philly's best friend was hilarious. For me, it was reminiscing about the fantasies it provided when I was a teen. I had forgotten how sweet and sexy Sylvia Kristel was in this movie. Some of her acting was still a bit amateur, but her sweet seduction was first-rate. She put a smile on my face when I needed it most...and that's all that matters.

Back in my days as an usher "Private Lessons" played at the 4-plex I was working. It was a sleeper hit selling out Friday and Saturday nights for several weeks. I never got around to seeing it but saw that it was on cable this last weekend, so I decided to give it a shot. What I witnessed for the next 90 minutes was one of the worst movies I have ever seen and one that made me terribly uncomfortable to watch.The basic story is a teenage boy lusts after his sexy maid (Sylvia Kristel). She, too, seems to feel an attraction towards the boy but for more sinister reasons. So we get scenes of the boy watching her undress and her inviting him in to watch. And it goes from there.Eric Brown, as the teenage boy, has to be one of the worst actors I have ever seen. His "scared" reactions to every time Sylvia takes off a piece of clothing or when she touches him are horrible. I didn't laugh a single time during this piece of junk.And let's not get started on the subplot of the maid and chauffeur planning to extort money from the kid. Let's just say it involves faking a death, burying a body.... I could go on and on but it gets more ridiculous.The sex scenes are the worst I have ever seen. Even though Eric Brown was older then he looked, the fact is he looks like a baby. It appears he has no idea how to kiss a woman (if THAT was acting then maybe I should re-think my criticisms of Brown) and it just came too close to bordering on child pornography to be erotic. I have never been so turned off by a sex scene even though Miss Kristel is quite beautiful with and without clothes.**SPOILER WARNING** I must make mention of the last scene. To me it's just plain sick but I can remember audiences cheering as the film freeze framed and dissolved into credits. Our hero returns to school and begins a flirtation with one of the female teachers. He asks her out for dinner and she gives him a look as if Tom Cruise has just asked her out. She nods affirmatively and he walks away, smiling at the camera in triumph. GIVE ME A BREAK! Yes I am sure teachers all over would just risk everything for a plain looking teenage kid.I will never understand the appeal this film had in 1982. Certainly it was more then the nudity because there were plenty of teen sex comedies with nudity that bombed at the box office. And to think that these same teenagers that cheered that movie 22 years ago are now working their way up corporate ladders and possibly helping to run this country. THAT is a scary thought.