Casting Couch (2013)

Casting Couch is horrible, but there are minor moments here and there that are good. There's also a good mix of characters to provide some comedy. Unfortunately, that's all overshadowed by the horrible, horrible premise that could have worked if it was done in a way that was somehow more deftly dealt with and less . . . . . . . . . . . . sleazy.

Justin Smith plays Justin, a young man who wants to help his friend Chase Lockwood (Jason Lockhart) mend a broken heart. Of course, young men mend broken hearts by sleeping with as many attractive women as possible, but that's not always easy to arrange. Thankfully, Justin has a cunning plan. He wants to audition people for various roles in a movie that won't ever be made. It's all just a ruse to get the guys in close proximity with a number of beautiful women, many of whom will perform nudity if the role requires it.

As well as giving himself the leading role, Jason Lockhart was also the writer and director for this lacklustre bit of bawdiness. The presentation of the film just feels cheap, in the same way that so many other video diary/mockumentary movies can feel cheap when the framing device feels completely unnecessary. The script doesn't have any zingers in the dialogue, although there are one or two decent comedic moments that develop from the interaction and development of the characters, but this is unlikely to be the kind of film that people seek out for sparkling wit and ear-tickling monologues anyway.

Despite the fact that Lockhart isn't great as writer or director, I have to say that as an actor . . . . . . . he's also not great. The rest of the cast, for the most part, stay on his level and I'm not going to single anyone else out for praise or criticism. I think it's fair to stop the buck with Lockhart.

My rating here is generous, but I realise that my review may not have made things clear regarding just how disheartening this movie is and how it takes the dubious material and makes it worse. Never fear, IMDb is here to help. If you're wondering whether or not this movie is for you, here are the plot keywords added by users of the site to give people a feel for the film:

hot pants	girl stripped down to panties
female nudity	gender stereotype
asian stereotype	swimming in underwear
redhead	fake movie deal
pool party	aspiring actress
bra less	mock documentary
casting call	topless sunbathing
red panties	diva
red dress	gay stereotype
skinny dipping	topless female nudity
porn actress	film within a film
slut	sexism

And I think that's all the information you need.

4/10

http://www.amazon.com/Casting-Couch-Jason-Lockhart/dp/B00ANRG4A0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368724838&sr=8-1&keywords=casting+couch

Many, many reviews just like (and even including) this one appear in this book that I wrote.

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.