Stripteaser (1995)

User Rating:

4.7/10   

Director:

Dan Golden

Writer:

Duane Whitaker (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Tonight murder takes center stage.

Plot:

As Zipper's Clown Palace (a strip bar) closes, Neil wanders in and decides to hold the dancers, bartender...

Plot Keywords:

Hostage | Exotic Dancer | Nightclub | Bartender | Loner

Cast

Maria Ford	...	Christina Loren
Rick Dean	...	Neil
Lance August	...	Carey
Nikki Fritz	...	Sandra
R.A. Mihailoff	...	Little
George Russo	...	Frankie
J.R. Kuykendall	...	Buzz
George Tovar	...	Roland
Patric Zimmerman	...	Joey
M.C. McCurdy	...	Acid Arnie
Ann-Marie Holman	...	Kitten
Richard Hertz	...	Plumber
Candi Villalobos	...	Housewife

Runtime:

74 min | USA:82 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico

Company:

Concorde-New Horizons

Quotes:

Neil: I'm directing this piece - *you* can direct the Pinter play next semester.

Movie Connections:

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Soundtrack:

Love Rocket

Very decent viewing - "What a f**kin' brat! I want my cigarettes Nurse Ratchett! I want my cigarette!"

"Stripteaser" I first watched when I was twelve which gave me an introduction to two of my favourite actors; the amazing and unfortunately late Rick Dean and George Tovar.

I think it is a brilliant low-budget film that pakcs a lot more style than its cheap packaging would indicate. By now it is obvious that once a film like this gets in the hands of the legendary Roger Corman, he is going to take full advantage of every marketing tool possible. Including changing the title from "Zipper's Clown Palace" to "Stripteaser" due to the fact that the Demi Moore movie "Striptease" was on its way out around the same time.

So the title and packaging are enough to get people to take notice of the film for the wrong reasons but if you are hoping for the exact opposite of first impressions, then this film will not disappoint.

The premise is simple and may very well have been originally written to be performed on stage as a play. Essentially set in one location as the crazy Neil (Rick Dean) holds the patrons of a low-rent strip club hostage as we uncover the deranged obsession which beset him.

The dialogue and acting is on par. The film was shot in such an infinitesimal amount of time that it is hard to believe that such a tight schedule would be able to bring performances such as these. Especially from Rick Dean who has at least 90% of the film's dialogue all to himself. This ladies and gentlemen is the real school of acting. To be able to deliver under these low-budget restricitons is nothing short of amazing and would challenge any of Hollywood's upper echelon of performers.

Maria Ford also delivers in this film and although she does come under a lot of ridicule for her lesser performances over the years, this film would certainly debunk that. George Tovar with a smaller amount of screen time delivers a performance that was believable and stand-out as a corrupt junkie cop Roland. All these acting accolades that I am bestowing upon the select few performers worth singling out are only made possible with a good script by Duane Whitaker and great direction by Dan Golden.

I have watched this film numerous times over the years and the DVD also sports one of the best commentaries you will ever hear by director Dan Golden and star Rick Dean. These two guys give a decent commentary which is funny and interesting, unlike most of the mundane and obvious commentaries we get these days.

Dozens of memorable and quotable one liners that I always find myself remembering and acting out all too often. I think the film is noteworthy and deserves to be elevated above its current status. Most definitely in my all-time list. Whitaker's script is above average and the performances are great. The kind of film that allows the viewer to have lots of fun with it.