"Meet Monica Velour" was not the movie I thought it would be, but it still has some humorous parts in it. It plays more like a "slice of life" movie, which I don't always enjoy, but which some people's "cup of tea."
Monica Velour (Kim Cattrall, "Sex and the City") was a porn actress in the '80s who Tobe (Dustin Ingram, TV's "Unfabulous") is obsessed with. He has all of her movies (on VHS, of course), posters, and even a scrapbook devoted to her. No one has seen or heard from her recently, however, and so she is a bit of a mystery. When he hears that she will be performing all summer at a strip club in Indiana, he HAS to go meet her; it works out that a man who wants to buy his hot dog stand/truck, the Weenie Wiz, lives in Indiana as well, and so he decides to take a road trip there. What he finds, however, is not the Monica Velour of his dreams, but rather an old and washed up version, who lives in a trailer, has co-custody of her young daughter, and is trying to find a way to make ends meet. Tobe is still dazzled by her, though, and they soon become friends.
Kim Cattrall does deliver a great performance in this movie; if I had not known her previously as Samantha Jones from "Sex and the City," I would have never made the connection, which is the mark of a great actor. Ingram reminded me a lot of Napoleon Dynamite, though with a bit more personality. There were a few supporting actors that provided some chuckles, too, such as Brian Dennehy ("Every Day") as Tobe's grandfather, and Daniel Yelsky ("A Little Help") as a precocious young neighbor of Tobe's.
Maybe see this film. If you like "slice of life" movies, you might like it, but I found most of the middle part of the movie to be a little slow. The story is definitely an interesting one, and there were a few scenes that were so awkward you couldn't help but laugh, but the film didn't captivate me like I had hoped it would; if you want a dose of Kim Cattrall, I'd recommend "Sex and the City" reruns instead.
"Meet Monica Velour" will be in Detroit-area theaters today, April 15th.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films