The Escort Review
by Nav Qateel
Sex addict Mitch has just been fired from his latest job as a journalist for having sex with the office interns. Behind on his rent and desperate for work, Mitch (Michael Doneger) persuades a potential employer to let him prove how good a reporter he can be. Mitch recently met Natalie (Lyndsy Fonseca), a young and pretty Stanford-educated high-class escort, who he convinces to let him tell her story. Over the course of several weeks, Mitch and Natalie learn more than they’d bargained for about each other, but not everything goes smoothly in their new working relationship.
Will Slocombe’s sex comedy, The Escort, is a step in the right direction for the director, after the lukewarm reception of his previous effort, Cold Turkey, a film that included the talents of Alicia Witt and Peter Bogdanovich. The Escort was penned by co-star Michael Doneger and first-time writer Brandon A. Cohen. While the film is billed as a straight comedy, Doneger and Cohen didn’t quite manage to inject many comedic touches into the script, however, the film worked well enough as a standard romcom, heavier on the romance than the actual comedy.
- The Escort
- Directed by
Will Slocombe - Cast
Michael Doneger, Lyndsy Fonseca, Bruce Campbell - Release Date
28 July 2015 - Nav’s Grade: C+
*****
With the film moving along at a fairly sedate pace, thankfully the acting elevated the slight material the cast had to work with. The majority of the work fell squarely on the more than capable shoulders of the lovely and talented Lyndsy Fonseca, followed closely by Michael Doneger. Although the two leads did have a small spark of chemistry between them, it was clear they had to work hard to bring it to the fore, otherwise it would have barely been noticed by the audience. I’d hoped to see more comedy from Bruce Campbell’s oddball character, as this is the type of roll Campell is perfectly suited to playing.
Technically, The Escort is more than adequate and is helped along with strong acting and decent directing. The writing and pacing were the weakest parts of the film, yet overall I was kept entertained throughout. As long as you’re not too demanding then I can think of worse ways to spend 90-minutes. Watching Lyndsy Fonseca perform is an added bonus.
