Very average soft core flick that shouldn't be considered for die hard fans of erotica.Yes it got hot women (Gina Ryder specially, Amy Lindsay) but it fails to generate "that" intentions to be enjoyed by the audience.The lesbian sex scene was the highlight for me. Ryder's last sex scene was also good but only two decent scenes doesn't save the night.The production values are not as good as in other productions and it shows a lack of effort.The score is just average and you can't expect more from it.Avoid this one, you might wanna try another soft core effort.

Passion Lane (2001): Amy Lindsay, Richard Neil, Monique Parent, Matt Dalpiaz, Mandy Fisher, Frank Harper, Eddie Jay, Gina Ryder, Danny Pape, Dru Berrymore....Director Reilly Lucas, Screenplay...Louise Monclair.Many guys and yes they are GUYS, male viewers have criticized and bashed this film as really lousy and plot less, nothing particularly special or memorable as far as erotic films for adults that air on late night Cinemax or Showtime. I'm a woman and I do agree that although there are some flaws in this movie, it's got it's good moments too and it's very enjoyable for women. As mentioned, this is one of many soft-core adult films shown late night on cable. Don't expect to see graphic "money" shots, penetrations and shots of genitals as seen in more hardcore adult films. The most impressive aspect of the film is the writing. The script was written by a woman who has written for Playboy, and this is one of similar films Playboy productions have filmed. Leah Riley (better known as Amy Lindsay) and Richard Neil star as Harry and Olivia, a wealthy California couple who host notorious swingers parties. They send out invitations for a different kind of party with a "Clue murder mystery" theme to Shandra (Monique Parent, here credited as Scarlett Johansing), a writer of women's erotic novels and a promiscuous woman. When we first meet her, she is discussing her new book with her agent and interviewing a cover model (Danny Pape) who will grace the cover of the book. She is a dominant, bitchy, temperamental woman who bosses her shy personal assistant, Alex (Eddie Jay). Invited to the party is Troy (Matt Dalpiaz) a sexist, arrogant and frat-boy like lawyer and his associate lawyer, the timid Janice (Gina Ryder), their neighbors Gwen (Mandy Fischer) and Danny (Frank Harper), a young couple in marriage crisis and French waitress/maid Antoinette (Dru Berrymore). Outwardly, Harry and Olivia appear as if they are just getting everyone primed and ready for a sexual encounters with each other. Everyone has to "role play" and stay in character until the murder is solved, providing excuse after excuse for them to bed each other. But as the weekend wears on, everyone discovers that there is a tad more to this than meets the eye. For Troy, used to having his way with the ladies, it's a hard lesson in humility to pretend to be a shy virgin and to discover that women prefer a soft, sensitive and compassionate type rather than a cocky arrogant type. Gwen and her boyfriend rekindle their lost sexual passion after Gwen reveals her "adult fairy tale" fantasy of being "taken" by a masked stranger. Eddie Jay and Gwen discover that they have terrific sexual chemistry and Shandra, who was not enjoying herself at first, gets inspired to write a new novel, though she and Troy are the only ones who don't experience a change during the erotic weekend. Passion Lane's biggest flaw is the few instances in which the writing is bad and the "Clue" party element is discarded as a mere excuse for sexy role playing. There is no real point to even having this game. Some have called the sex scenes uninspired and they are pretty tame and mild but it is soft-core erotica so one has to know that beforehand. Softcore sex is simulated sex or pretend sex and there is no actual penetration, despite the realistic depictions of sex in motion. I like soft-core and using my imagination and fantasizing so it's not a problem. The women are gorgeous as are the men, especially in the buff. Many of these actors/actresses went on to do many Skinemax films and series but this film finds them early in their "career". The sex scenes with Matt Dalpiaz and the flirty French maid Antoinette(played by Ms. Barrymore) a not to mention the scene with Rafe Urquhart and Mandy Fisher, especially in the princess and the masked assailant fantasy, is very arousing. Passion Lane is cute, but because the script was written by a woman, I suspect the biggest group of viewers who enjoy this are women. This is an example of a pretty tasteful, interesting adult film that can be sexy without being hardcore. I loved it.

This review covers the R-rated version shown on US cable networks.I caught the very end of this softcore porn flick late one night, saw from the closing credits that it contained several of my favorite softcore actresses, and recorded it the next time it was on cable. Unfortunately, when I watched it, as soon as it started I saw the R rating and knew I was in for a big disappointment. Typical of the old R rated softcore flicks, the simulated sex scenes were abbreviated and heavily edited to use only the camera angles showing the actors above the waist (and above the neck most of the time). So what's the point of R-rated softcore porn?! The only reason bored/horny insomniacs/teenagers/night-owls watch these flicks at all is to enjoy beautiful naked bodies simulating sex. And if the sex scenes are the only reason these types of movies are enjoyable, then why bother to watch all the subpar (or worse) acting, writing and production if the good parts are chopped out.Watching R-rated softcore porn is like eating a cheeseburger with no meat and no cheese. And now that most of the major cable networks show TV-MA rated softcore all the time, I just don't understand why they sometimes slip in one of these R-rated stinkers.I won't make any comments about the acting, plot, etc. since I pretty much fast forwarded through the whole movie saying to myself, "She's beautiful, that sex scene could have been hot if they had actually showed it."UPDATE: Sixteen months after I originally posted this user comment, this flick was still in late night rotation and I watched it out of boredom one night. Surprisingly, the plot is much better than average and quite creative for softcore. Some of the scenes are fun and well written, although the creativity and fun peter out during the second half of the film as it gets into a little too much relationship drama. The acting of the ensemble cast is all competent to excellent, overall very good. Monique Parent (as Scarlett Johansing) is especially good as the flamboyant author of erotic novels. The ladies are all fine, including three of my favorites, and Monique Parent is smoking hot in that nurses uniform and short blonde haircut.Sadly though, this flick is still undone by the R-rated sex scenes shown on cable, although there are some sexy parts and some good teases. Again, I'm not sure why they even have an R-rated version, since the cable networks have played TV-MA stuff for years, and all the actors are softcore veterans. There is an unrated version available on home video, and it's 15 minutes longer, but I haven't seen it.TECHNICAL ERROR (for anyone who cares): In the closing credits, actors Frank Harper and Joe Souza (as Matt Dalpiaz) are reversed in both the text credits and video clip credits.

The wealthy couple Olivia (Leah Riley) and Harry (Richard Bonsom) organize a party and invite three couples, friends of them, to spend the weekend in their mansion. Shandra (Scarlett Johansing), a writer of erotic tales and very promiscuous woman, and her unsecured personal assistant Alex (Eddie Jay); Troy (Matt Dalpiaz), the associate lawyer of Harry, and the shy and also his lawyer associate Janice (Gina Ryder); Gwen (Mandy Fischer) and Danny (Frank Harper), a young couple in marriage crisis and neighbor of Olivia and Harry; and the party waitress Antoinette (Dru Berrymore), to satisfy all the guests needs. Along the weekend, the group must represent a role, following individual scripts written by Olivia like in a play, and interact with each other. 'Passion Lane' is a Playboy production with one of the most shallow, ridiculous and silly story lines I have ever seen, all the dialogs are motives to undress the 'actresses' and 'actors'. Most of the women indeed have wonderful bodies, but instead of seeing sex simulation on the screen, better off watching a Buttman, Private or Rocco Siffred's porno flick. My vote is two.Title (Brazil): 'Limites do Prazer' ('Limits of the Pleasure')