GIRLFRIENDS

Written by Wayne A. Harold
Directed by Wayne A. Harold and Mark Steven Bosko
Produced by Mark Steven Bosko
Edited by Dick Meyers
Director of Photography - Alan Stevens

Staring:
Nina Angeloff - Wendy
Lori Scarlett - Pearle
Ian Macleman - Howard

I've always wondered what people's fascination is with white trash and why people find white trash to be so funny. Do we have a need to laugh at those less fortunate than us? Maybe it's just a release from salt mines of our own lives. One of my friends argues that Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is one of the funniest black comedies ever made. I don't think my friend can distinguish between intentional humor and those laughs that are imposed by limitations in production values. I think Henry is a disturbing film. Not funny in the slightest. I can't even begin to raise a laugh during a viewing. I think Girlfriends is supposed to be a black comedy or a satire of sorts, but I didn't find this one humorous either. I think it has to do with the desperation of the characters. I can't find it in me to laugh at people as pathetic as the ones portrayed in this film. The Full Monty deals with many of the same themes, but one of the reasons that film was such a hit is that the characters are attempting to get out of there situation. As viewers we can relate to the everyday struggle to better our lives. Who out there is actually content with there station in life? There is a tangibility that allows the viewers to empathize with the characters. In this film the characters are just trying to get by with no desire for betterment.

The story revolves around Wendy and Pearle, two lesbians who turn tricks and kill men for their wallets. Pearle decides to have a baby in order to help beat the welfare system. This is either the most pro-feminist film ever made or the most misogynistic. There is a lesbian community in town, but Wendy and Pearle aren't very active. They see the other women as boring, talkative bulldykes. Lesbians bothered by other lesbian.

The men in the film aren't any more then fodder for the twosome. There' s the father of Pearle's baby who is done away with pretty quickly, as is a rival sex-crime killer. Early on one man sums up the film, "A lot of funny stuff could happen to a middle aged furniture salesman." He's right, a lot of things can happen. These girls want to inflict as many cruel and humerous deeds onto furniture salesman as they can get away with.

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