Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Casual Sex? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 22, 2022

Mill Creek has released the 1988 film 'Casual Sex?' to Blu-ray. The film was previously to Blu-ray in 2018 by Universal. The releases drops the scant supplements from the universal disc and features practically identical video and audio presentations.

Talk about looking for love in all the wrong places. Casual Sex? -- with a question mark -- takes a look at whether a gal (or in this case a couple of gals) can find real love in the arms of any old guy, or whether there's something better in waiting for the right one to come along. The film was written by Wendy Goldman and Judy Toll who adapted it for the screen form their own stage production of the same name. Geneviève Robert directs this film adaptation which is not particularly funny or meaningful. In fact, it's a rather vapid film that only scratches the surface of the real emotional centers these women seek to explore. It's more of a would-be humorous character piece and less a meaningful deep dive into the human sexual psyche. It's not crude, it's not funny, it's not much of anything, sadly, but a collection of trite scenes and stock characters with an ending that doesn't draw much of a surprise as it maneuvers the characters into a place where, finally, matters of the heart matter more than matters of the flesh, or at least find co-equal footing in their personal equilibriums.

They may be best friends, but their sex lives are anything but similar. Stacy (Lea Thompson) has made it her life's work to sleep around with guys and reap the rewards of no-strings fun. Melissa (Victoria Jackson), on the other hand, has only been with a couple of different guys, one of which she almost married (he broke it off). But they're now both fearful of the prospect of the single life, and with the AIDS epidemic sweeping the nation, Stacy is starting to realize that she might have to be a little more careful and vet the men she's going to bed. Their answer to both their problems: find their Mr. rights at a health spa for singles. There, they meet an eclectic group of men, including the obnoxious New Jerseyite Vinnie (Andrew Dice Clay) and the struggling musician Nick (Stephen Shellen). Both have the hots for Stacy. Melissa, meanwhile, meets a spa employee named Jamie (Jerry Levine) who might be too sweet to be true. As they maneuver through the possibilities, they begin to put together what true bonding really looks like beyond the physical.

Despite its focus on the physical end of sex, there's not any real explicit sex in the movie; a hint of nudity, yes, but nothing to gravitate the material to a rating beyond "R." Yet even as the film makes a push for the characters to understand sex from the emotional side, or from the "one partner is better than many" end of the equation, there's a fairly shallow feel for its emotional resonance. The picture puts Stacy and Melissa through a fairly trite barrage of comings and goings as they drift towards the idea of true love but grow apart from one another as they search for meaning in life in the arms of a man. They experience various ups and downs at the spa, none of which will strike the viewers as particularly funny or particularly profound, which is a shame -- and a surprise -- considering the material in and of itself is ripe for both ends of the spectrum. The movie is very superficial, then, missing the mark to explore the human condition through both carnality and spirit, leaving both ends more or less hinging on the whims of trite storytelling at best and vacant narrative developments and resolutions at worst.

Casting is hit-or-miss as well. Lea Thompson is grossly miscast as Stacy, the flirtatious sex fiend who tries to pull off that "bad girl" vibe while still holding to her natural physical inclination, which is the sweet girl-next-door. It's a strange dichotomy that sinks the movie more than any other flaw: she just doesn't look the part and would have probably been more at home playing Melissa. However, Melissa is already well cast. Victoria Jackson absorbs the part and understands the character's inner workings far better than Thompon gets her own, and honestly far better than her part's scripted essence brings to the table. She's a pleasure to watch throughout the movie, even if her arc and growth are not as substantial as they should be. Andrew Dice Clay is terrific as the boisterous, crude New Jerseyite, and his character's arc, simple as it may be, winds up being the most interesting of the bunch, and his performance is the best amongst the cast as well.

Casual Sex? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This Mill Creek Blu-ray release of Casual Sex? appears to be practically identical to the Universal disc, so much so that the review for that presentation essentially suffices here. One might spot a little more wayward compression here, but the general characteristics hold up, and even screenshots comparisons show no significant differences; these two releases were assuredly struck from the same print. See below the text from the Universal disc:

Universal releases Casual Sex? to Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer that is not spiffy in the least but neither is it some sort of high-definition abomination. Though it is far from ideal, the picture is generally satisfying for a basic adherence to structural integrity, both in terms of the original film elements and its authoring onto Blu-ray. The picture is not scrubbed down or in any other way grossly processed. Grain is not so even and flattering as to delight videophiles, but the image holds to a generally good level of baseline cinematic texturing, capturing essential details like skin, clothes, and environments with relative ease and good firm command of the basics. Colors are generally fine, lacking the sort of brilliant vibrance and intensity found on the best catalogue releases from the 80s but there is certainly no gross fading or needless color timing and tweaking at play. Whites and blacks are largely fine. The image does show some sporadic print wear anomalies and some very light and borderline inconsequential (most of the time) compression related issues. Overall, however, this is a very serviceable presentation from Universal.

Casual Sex? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As with the video presentation, there is no real discernible difference between Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack and Mill Creek's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Below is a reproduction of the review from the Universal disc:

Casual Sex? arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is quite good within the two channel configuration, opening with a pleasing blast of musical intensity that is well spaced and nicely detailed. The track often opens up for music and stays fairly grounded for everything else. There are some good little atmospherics around the spa where, despite the lack of proper immersion that would come with a 5.1 presentation, the listener can enjoy a basic feel for the surrounding atmosphere. Dialogue mainly drives the track (there's no gunfire or explosions or anything of the sort) and plays with good clarity and prioritization from a mostly seamless front center imaged area.

Casual Sex? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike the Universal release, which included deleted scenes and an alternate ending, Mill Creek's Blu-ray release of Casual Sex? includes no supplements. The main menus screen offers only options to play the film and toggle subtitles on and off. This release does ship with the studio's popular "retro VHS"-style slipcover that mimics the look of a rental box and video tape from the 1980s.

Casual Sex? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Casual Sex? doesn't even score as a casual watch. it's something of a slog. It's short, but the story doesn't go anywhere interesting, explore anything of value, or find anything profound that other movies haven't already dissected, and better. The lead is miscast, but Jackson and Clay are quite a bit of fun and, really, the only reasons to bother watching. Mill Creek's disc is less a few supplements, but it is otherwise almost identical (and includes a cool slipcover) compared to the Universal offering. Best of all, it's significantly cheaper at time of publication. Buy this version instead.