Inserts

Very few sex films are actually about sexuality. While this makes a few moves in that direction, it takes an unconscionably long time about it. Set in '30s Hollywood, the stagebound action takes place on a single set where a faded director (Dreyfuss) has been reduced by the talkies to grinding out a porno silent, complete with gay stud and junked-up ex-DeMille actress. Stale repartee and Golden Age gags proliferate; nor does the action pick up with the arrival of other characters and the porno queen's overdose. But when the film finally reaches its erotic confrontation between Dreyfuss and his backer's girlfriend (beautifully played by Jessica Harper), it does momentarily move into a different league. The censor has spared the scissors here, but someone should have used them on the first hour.