The reason why the protagonist gets into the sex industry is real enough. And for this I draw from own experience (but you won't get that story), many ambitious young artists earn on the side in the adult business hoping to be able the pay for their breakthrough (auditions, promotion, getting by). I just don't believe the "out", this kind of movie always has an "in and an out". Her father is immediately introduced, and going along the movie you will know what I mean. I enjoyed the movie, the drama never goes too deep and I could relate to these people. Now, my view may be distorted; as a young aspiring artist I've spent my time in the world of adult parties. And yet after 23 years I'm still married.For those who just wanna see dancing girls and tits, you won't have to wait long and you gonna get some. But the reasons are artistic and make the movie more believable. This movie is good enough to watch 1 time.

Based on a true story, Kevin (Robert Hoffman) and his new fiancée Monica (Ali Cobrin) are on their way out to Hollywood to make their fortune, him as a screen writer and her as an actress. They detour to visit her dad (James Remar) who is dying from cancer, doesn't have enough insurance, and is facing a foreclosure etc. Monica wants to care for daddy, can't make enough money and opts to be a stripper. This causes problems in their relationship, surprise surprise, and we end up with a trite script that could be a Lifetime style film.The film has only a small amount of stripper nudity and even less lap dancing. It is not an erotic film, but uses the erotic nature of the business for a background. It seems to have supplied us with the worse of both worlds. If you are looking for something sexy, keep looking. If you like a "B" Lifetime film with a sexy background, this is it.

Greg Carter's movie is a skillful interpretation of "Indecent Proposal"and 1934's "Of Human Bondage". He insightfully pulls together the subtle elements of those two films and the rising new star, Ali Cobrin,like Bette Davis, has the exceptional ability to convey thought and emotion without dialogue. Unfortunately, some continuity is lost in the editing. The sequencing of scenes showing the changes in Monica's and Lexus' attitudes could be clearer. Also, Kevin's need for truth about lap dancing should be before his VIP lap dance with Jade Lee in JadeLee and Lexus' apartment. Also there is a need for a scene with Kevin and Matt after Kevin's roaming scene in the club disrupts Monica's lap dance. For the most part, all of the actors do an admirable job and are believable. There are some diction difficulties and mumbling which is common in most of today's movies. In some places the background music confuses dialogue. Datari Turner's acting debut is perfect in his interpretation of Chicago's manipulative personality. The working title of Monica should be kept since the story is more intellectually subtle, deeper and emotional than a "skin flick" as the title misleadingly suggests. Such is marketing, the art of expedient exaggeration and misdirection!

First of all, why the heck is IMDb giving Briana Evigan, Carmen Electra and Stacey Dash billing over Ali Cobrin? Ali is the star of this movie, followed by Robert Hoffman. Dash is virtually not in it. Maybe she appeared in such a tiny role as a favor to a friend. Evigan and Electra are in it a tad bit more, but not a whole lot.Anyway, after getting the billing problem out of the way, I'd have to say many parts of this movie are very realistic, such as why Monica decides to take up dancing. I've talked to quite a few dancers some years ago when I was writing a book, and one of my characters was sort of like them. The girls I talked to told me how they started dancing for the most noble of reasons; helping family members with hospital bills, keeping their kids fed and off the streets, etc. "I'll dance for a month until the bills are paid." That month tends to become two and then a year. Many of those girls finally decide to start "tricking" and they get into drugs, and their lives spiral out of control. The movie was also realistic about the deep pitfalls many of those girls go through in their relationships with husbands/boyfriends as their insistence on making more and more money becomes the main priority for them. Without giving away spoilers, I'll say that the ending was not as realistic as the rest of the movie.The acting was good. Ali Cobrin did a great job in her role. Robert Hoffman was good as her husband, as were the supporting players. The storyline - except for the ending - was believable. I began watching this movie expecting to hate it. I thought it was going to basically be a skin flick with no story. It wasn't, not at all. There is some nudity in it, but not much. Ali Cobrin is completely naked on the bed with a guy, but they go to great lengths not to show anything besides her naked profile and back (no butt in that scene). In another scene, she gets out of bed and walks to the bathroom completely naked showing her butt. In the strip club, some other girls show their breasts. If you're looking for nudity like in Showgirls, forget it.I gave this a 7-star rating, because - as I said earlier - it's a mostly realistic take on strippers and the pitfalls of that profession. I thought they should have put a bit more grittiness into the film, and the ending could've been done better, but no film's perfect. This was not a film I wanted to see, but it surprised me.