Palm Swings

Palm Swings_720p(480P)

source: Palm Swings

Not dirty enough to be even remotely erotic and not serious enough to be an engaging drama--this unique orphan is like a bad softcore porno, without the *. So it just lies there. Sadly there are some real actors here trying to act but only reminding us of better days and much better projects: Diane Farr was great in Denis Leary's crazy TV show, "The Job" and her husband here is played a buddy to Christian Bale in the electrify and underseen "Harsh Times" To piggyback on what another commenter said, this meandering mess is truly only good for one thing: If you find yourself awake at 2 am, start watching and you'll be back in dreamland by 3.

An irksome but watchable movie. The story is not a story that will resonate with traditional married couples. Palm Swings orbits around the premise that marital relationships can be enhanced or strengthened by mutually sanctioned infidelities. This is the default premise of the movie that is never (really) challenged. The drama in Palm Swings does not stem from the act of swapping partners but from one partner concealing the continuance of a previously sanctioned hookup. The character Allison has no character. She peeks in windows, is accommodating to sexual advances from pretty much anyone, lies, cheats and deceives. Allison's husband Mark is a college professor who has little or no relationship situational awareness. Though his reaction after Allison's unsanctioned infidelities is spot-on ... essentially how any reasonably intelligent spouse would react to cheating, his behavior at the onset of swapping and in accepting Allison back after the affair is baffling. Initially Mark sets the stage for trouble when he doesn't establish swapping ground rules and boundaries with Allison (assuming that realistic ground rules and boundaries can be established for blowing up your marriage). In the final scene Allison tells Mark she's sorry for not telling him about the affair along with a soliloquy of love and fidelity-based declarations. Mark reservedly accepts Allison back but is seeming oblivious to the fact that she did not say she was sorry for having an affair.

This film was surprisingly decent for the subject matter it represented. The story was ok and the acting was passable for the most part. The film does well at portraying the swinger lifestyle in a fairly accurate way, and the character's journey is somewhat realistic, although one with enough experience can tell when they stretched the drama a bit. What prevented this from being a great film were some poor writing choices after the climax of the film. The acting from the main protagonist did not sell the gravity of the situation. For anyone who is in the lifestyle, some of the character decisions in the film will be frustrating to watch. There was a missed opportunity here but I appreciated that the writers really left the message up to the viewer to interpret. What really saves this film are the characters. They are interesting to look at and observe as they end up in some very sexy and risque circumstances. The first act was very well directed and you could really feel the tension building. Again things seem to get a little weird towards the end of the second act which had me scratching my head. I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in seeing a portrayal of a non monogamous subculture.

May Contain Spoliers: We are in middle of Apocalypse so have to lower our viewing standards so that we can fill the time. This was on Prime so I gave it a look. Acting is not bad. Seen much, much worse. Couple meet swingers. Decide to give it a try. It goes wrong. The dreadful Hollywood ending. Estranged husband is lured into a meeting with wife so that they can talk - at another swingers party where are the people involved in the breakup are attending. Seriously. How is that going to work?

I must agree with some of Ccoral419's technical critiques of the film. Lighting was certainly an issue for me. There was also a lack of depth in the story that I was hoping to see. There were several instances where Lockhart was trying to convey a point, but unfortunately it opened more unexplored story threads that were left dangling for us to wonder about. These created motivations that became sometimes unclear and because parts of the story were not explored the reactions came across more as plot devices rather than honest emotions. Often plot points were rushed to get to the next event in the story rather than finding a particular focus to the drama. Sugar Lyn's performances were subtle, nuanced and fearless for the subject matter and I enjoyed the wise sage character of Clair played by Diane Farr. Jackson Davis' performance was also well done, however he didn't really have depth of character to fully explore, I'm sure he would have relished. I liked that it came across as an anti-Halmark movie. One devoid of the purtianical morality tales shoehorned into them, that is often seen in those productions. As someone who has some exposure to swinging, it was clear to me that Lockhart either has experience in this area or has done extensive research. She conveyed the principal issues most couples must deal with in such a lifestyle, "honesty" and "trust". Break either of those and there is often friction or outright trouble in a relationship. The reason why "swingers" stay together is because they share a brutal honesty with each other that often is missing in traditional relationships. This is to be honest, a titillation film. Provocative by design, but also honest about what the lifestyle is about and what it takes for a couple to participate in it. That said, I liked it for what it was in terms of story, but the technical aspects were certainly distractin.

Not going to win any awards for great acting, but it did highlight the effects being a "swinger" can have on a Couples relationship. The tackling of that issue came across in a believable way

Director Sean Hoessli (primarily known for his work in Visual Effects) does a decent job bringing first time writer Amanda Lockhart's film about "swinging" couples in Palm Springs to life. While the story of "should we, shouldn't we and what happens if we do" makes sense, dialogue and delivery is weak, many scenes are overly staged, sound and lighting is unequal, the film appears more concerned with PS wardrobe and atmosphere, and female breasts and full-frontal nudity are used to make the film appealing. Tia Carrere (Wayne's World) gives a limited and basic cameo as Ms. Cherry Bomb - the Swing Party Hostess. Jason Lewis (Model, "Sex and the City") is rock star Lance, and is unfortunately miss-cast. Of the numerous actors who are featured here (all performing to varying believable degree), Jackson Davis (as newlywed Mark Hughes) gives the most honest of performances. Another highlight of the production is the films sexy and rhythmic music by Alf Alpha. The film is being released on Itunes and other digital formats, with little chance of making it to mainstream theaters.