Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 3, 2022

Breeziness is not a quality normally associated with adult entertainment, but 1984’s “Stiff Competition” breaks away from the bleakness of the industry by offering something fun to watch while still meeting expectations for carnal activity. Director Paul Vatelli creates a spoof of sporting world competitiveness with the endeavor, embracing a “thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat” atmosphere of rivalries and personalities clashing over a most unusual test of skill.

“Stiff Competition” follows the journey of Tammy the Tongue (Gina Carerra), who’s welcomed into the world of competitive oral sex games, joined by manager Jeff (Kevin James) as they make their way to the annual “suck-off” showdown in Las Vegas. Standing in the way of a $50,000 victory are various challengers, and Vatelli gets into the spirit of the journey, staging training sequences and practice sessions, also spotlighting the dark side of the sport as bribes are tossed around and betrayals are common. “Stiff Competition” isn’t “Rocky,” but it has the right idea, keeping the movie active with multiple characters maintaining different allegiances, with combatants such as Cynthia Silkthroat (Cyndee Summers), Patti Cakes (Patty Plenty), and Linda Lonestar (Bridgette Monet) coming after Tammy as the film leads to an arena showdown in the final act.

Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray version of "Stiff Competition."

"Stiff Competition" makes it 4K debut with this Vinegar Syndrome release, sourced from the "35mm original camera negative." The viewing experience offers ideal clarity with this endeavor, capturing wonderful textures on displays of skin and costuming, which explore more extravagant combatant outfits and softer casual wear. Office and household interiors are exact, allowing fans to examine various rooms, and the arena showdown carries ideal depth. Colors are superbly refreshed, exploring rich primaries, while clothing and signage provide vivid hues. Skintones are fresh and natural, offered a crisper, nuanced appearance with the UHD presentation, and blacks are deep throughout. Highlights are tasteful. Grain is fine and film-like. Source is in good condition, with some faint scratches in the final reel.

Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA provides satisfactory dialogue exchanges, capturing a range of performance capabilities without losing any lines along the way. Scoring supports with comfortable instrumentation, offering a variety of music styles to identify various contestants. Atmospherics are acceptable, including crowd activity during the finale.

Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features actress Gina Carrera.

• Interview (13:38, HD) is a conversation with actress Francesca "Kitten" Natividad, who identifies as a burlesque dancer who participated in some adult film work. The interviewee explores her move to acting, soon involved with Russ Meyer, who taught her the ins and outs of the business, and she credits Chuck Barris with raising her profile, appearing on "The Gong Show," "The Dating Game," and "The $1.98 Beauty Show." For "Stiff Competition," Natividad recalls time spent with "partner in crime" Patty Plenty, and she shares memories of director Paul Vatelli. She also offers her perspective on the shoot, asked to have sex with co-star Gina Carrera, who didn't like her. Cocaine was also flowing freely, helping the mood. Career highlights are shared, including "Airplane II: The Sequel," allowing her to cross over to mainstream movies.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Stiff Competition 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Stiff Competition" tries to arrange a world of rules for this apparently televised sport, as the climax is beamed into bars and homes, while Paul Thomas has fun with his announcer part. Vatelli doesn't slow the endeavor down to deal with superfluous activity, keeping the picture on the move with mild comedy (the end credits even offer outtakes) and plenty of sexual situations, loading up on adult adventures to help viewers get their money's worth. It's all so incredibly silly, but "Stiff Competition" actually achieves a sense of scale with its closing event, and performances are engaged, trying to sell the highs and lows of the competitive oral sex circuit, making for an amusing sit with a sport that, at this point, would probably score bigger ratings than the Olympics.