So the movie tries to give us an insight into the life (or after-life?) of those who have done porn movies. Depending on your viewing habbits, you may be able to recognize people involved here. But even if you never heard of them, the documentary tells you what they've done and where they went from there. A nice touch is the ending bit, where you get a "where are they now"/"what are they doing now?".Some of it seems a bit negative, but it just may have to do with the people that got selected. I do wonder if Jenna Jameson was asked to do that. Arguably one of the most famous ones, who also has retired (although she has shown privately that she has gone off the rails). Well if you don't count Pamela Anderson, who might have (unwillingly?) pioneered the celebrity Sex tape thing. So if you are interested what people go through, after their career this is the first one to watch ...

"After Porn Ends" is a good example of, "well it looked good on paper." The idea of a documentary about former porn A-listers trying to survive in the real world after retirement from the industry is an excellent idea. In fact, that's the exact reason why I watched this doc from 2012. However, in reality, I'm disappointed that it didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know. That's just one of many issues I have with this doc."After Porn Ends" interviews the likes of Amber Lynn, Asia Carrera, Houston, Raylene, and also trail blazers Nina Hartley and Randy West, and many more ex-porn-industry A-listers (but no Ron Jeremy? WTF?). They tell their story in the first person, revealing their admiration's and hesitations about their past and current lives. They explain how and why they entered the industry and the feelings they experienced along they way. Take your best guess on how they answered these questions and you'll probably be right.Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997) pretty much hits the nail right on the head about what it's like before, during and after the on-camera sex. What I learned from that movie already confirmed what I guessed to be true about the real porn world, making this documentary moot. Many porn stars made a lot of money when times were good, but a lot of them blew the money on drugs and alcohol, ended up broke and/or in trouble, had a hard time keeping a stable home life, and eventually returned to porn to make ends meet. Some of the women were tricked into it, and some were sexually abused as children, and some felt that sex was the same as love and that's why they stayed. Some have no employable skills at all, could never work a 9-to-5 job, and/or are avoided like the plague because of their porn industry dealings. That's pretty much the gist of this doc....and Boogie Nights: art imitating life imitating art. "Boogie Nights" is more entertaining, though. Watch that instead."After Porn Ends" has the look and feel of a quickly-put-together-film-school-project. Swish-pans and quick-zooms that look like the editor forgot to cover them up with B-roll. Actually, considering the amount of material these porn stars shot in their lifetime, I was expecting a lot more B-roll and less talking-head. If you need to have a 45-second clip of someone talking, fine, just make sure you have 40-seconds of interesting visuals to cover that. You learn that in your first year of film school.What I found the most interesting were the scholars talking about the psychological affect the industry has on both porn-stars and viewers, and how being an adult film star (current or former) will follow you everywhere until your death. Like the mafia, "you are never really out." Although, even that, I pretty much knew already because whether you're a porn star or not, thanks to the internet, your history is never really history. I know, right, tell you something you didn't already know.

After Porn ends is an insightful and often poignant documentary that not only reveals the different paths chosen by those who have retired from the adult movie industry, but which also delves into their reasons for entering that particular career in the first place.Amongst those interviewed for the film:Tiffany Millions, the bounty hunter/investigator, who has gone from sucking dick to being a private dick. Raylene, the estate agent, who turned to selling houses instead of her body. Crissy Moran, the religious convert, who is still to be found on her knees, only now it's while praying to God. Randy West, the golfer, who went from shaving his balls to hitting them. Amber Lynn, the counsellor, who now gives advice instead of head. John Leslie, the artist—less vinegar strokes, more brush strokes. Houston, the nursing student, who swapped ATM for A&E.It's a wildly varying set of stories: some of the ex-pornstars seem to be thankful to the adult video industry for the money and opportunities that it afforded them, while others are clearly embarrassed or regretful about their past. Some of them entered the business out of choice, as a means of earning an easy wage, while others gravitated towards porn as the result of a difficult or abusive childhood. Some successfully stay out of porn, but others find it hard to say no forever. Whatever the case, it's interesting to see these people laying bare their souls instead of their bodies.6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

After Porn Ends (2010) *** 1/2 (out of 4)Director Bryce Wagoner takes a look at various porn stars and find out how they got into the business, what the work was like and then what they did with their lives after their career. Asia Carrera, Luke Ford, Mary Carey, Nina Hartley, Houston, John Leslie, Amber Lynn, Crissy Moran, Richard Pacheco, Raylene and Seka are just a few of the names who are interviewed about their time in the business and afterwards. I've seen quite a few documentaries on the porn industry and this one here is pretty good. Like most others, everyone who was involved each has a different story to tell as some are happy they did it, some blame the industry for taking advantage of their personal demons, some just want the money and that's it and others just want to be forgotten for what they did. The stuff here with Houston, who at one time held the record for a gang bang, was pretty interesting because of how she feels today and it's fascinating to hear her talk about how her daughter doesn't want her to go to certain functions because people will recognize her. Some other interesting stories deal with the downfall of Carrera whose life hit some very bad times after getting away from the business. It's doubtful fans of the genre are going to hear or learn anything new here but for the most part I think the film remains entertaining from start to finish. Those worried about actual hardcore footage have nothing to worry about as there's none of that but of course there's a lot of nudity. The only thing I would say is that I think a better film could be made out of interviewing those who didn't make it big. These people here mostly got fame and at least a lot of money for a short period of time. It would be interested to hear from those who got in the business hoping to make it big but just ended up in the more trashy side of things.