Billed as an erotic private eye spoof, That's My
Daughter! is an attempt to provide the viewer with good
sex, an interesting story and a first-rate production. It's a
film which recognizes that adult entertainment means more
than several sex strung together with an inane story line.
Like Roommates and Taboo, That's My
Daughter! wants to be considered as a movie first and as
a sex film second. Unlike these films, however, it falls far
short of this goal.
The cast includes some of the best performers working in
adult films, and introduces a promising new actress, Karen
Sweet, as the daughter. Lisa DeLeeuw will disappoint her
legion of loyal fans because even though she gets star
billing she makes only a brief cameo appearance, turns in an
adequate but undistinguished sex scene and then is no longer
seen. Arcadia Lake, a personal favorite who has been out of
the business for a while, makes a rare screen appearance
opposite her real life husband Eric Edwards. The bulk of the
acting chores are handled by veterans Eric Edwards, John
Leslie, Sharon Mitchell, Herschel Savage, and an unknown
woman narrator with a passable French accent. So far so good.
But, the film's real weakness is that it depends on a plot
that, while superficially interesting, never quite lives up
to the viewer's expectations.
The film's narrator, a French madam, is contracted by a
wealthy client who is seeking his long-lost daughter,
recently discovered as a porn actress in an obscure film. The
madam refers her client to the offbeat detective team of
Angel (Sharon Mitchell) and Johnny (Eric Edwards). Angel, a
tough cookie, is constantly turning down the advances of boss
Johnny.
Meanwhile, long-lost Stephanie (Karen Sweet) is bouncing
from man to man, thoroughly enjoying her life as a hooker.
But the gig is soon up, as Johnny and Angel burst in on
Stephanie and a client. A multitude of plot-lines are
unraveled: father and daughter run off to renew their
relationship; Johnny gets Angel; and the French madam who
narrated the film starts another story as the film ends.
Somewhere between an interesting story line and the end
product something went wrong. The biggest single flaw in the
film is the script; it never puts all the story elements
together in a satisfying way. The film claims to be a madcap
detective spoof implying that there is more than a little
humor and hijinks. There is no humor in this film; nothing is
played for laughs. There is a lot of silliness in this film
– stupid things that aren't funny.
But what about the sex, you ask? Tell us about the good
stuff. Well, there's not much to tell. Although a fair amount
of sex scenes are good, it is because of the performers. The
problem with this film's sex is that it's pretty standard
fare – nothing out of the ordinary and no particularly
steamy scenes.
If you're looking for an entertaining, fun-filled, sexy
detective story as this film purports to be, you'll be
disappointed. If you're looking for a sex film with good
production, familiar faces, and an okay story, then That's
My Daughter! is worth a try.
Review from AVN
