Striptease (1996)

Some of the dumbest male characters to ever appear in a film

Demi Moore's appearance in this movie is truly awesome, her body is lithe, sexy and she shows a great deal of it. Her dancing is truly a show that will cause men to stick bills of higher denomination in her garter. The supporting cast of strippers is also very good, including a few women whose mammary endowment is something that could knock you out if they swung around at even a moderate rate of rotation. However, that is the only thing even remotely positive about this movie. The plot is thin and some of the male characters are dumber than owl excrement.
Demi plays a mother where her ex-husband has custody of their infant daughter. The only job that she can get that pays enough is to strip at a club called "The Eager Beaver." The ex-husband steals wheelchairs from hospitals by putting on hospital scrubs, the daughter in the chair and walking out the door. The ex-husband's sister and her husband live in one of the ugliest and dirtiest trailers ever to appear in a movie. However, the dumbest male role in this movie and quite possibly the dumbest in the history of cinema was played by Burt Reynolds. His character is a congressman so stupid that you wouldn't want him to even drive a bus or clean the subways in D. C. for fear that it would be contagious.
The ending is so preposterous that my impression was that the writers just wanted to put something together to end the movie so they could go on to more interesting work. Even though Moore is as hot as they come, there is no way I would ever watch this movie again. Even crazed stalkers of Moore would probably edit the movie down to the at most ten minutes where she is scantily clad.
June 22, 2008

You really had to have read the book to get it.

It's really unfortunate that most people know this brilliant story only as a mediocre film. The story was adapted from an absolutely delightful novel written by Carl Hiassen of the Miami Herald. Having read Strip Tease before seeing the movie, I enjoyed Striptease a lot more than most viewers. I can understand how people would think the movie missed the mark if judged only by the movie.

Burt Reynolds plays Congressman Dilbeck almost exactly as he's portrayed in the book and he does a fantastic job in the role. Ving Rhames does a great job playing the bouncer, Shad, at the Eager Beaver. Unfortunately, the screenwriters' adapted screenplay attempts to make the Erin Grant role a bit more serious than she was in the book and, quite honestly, a more significant character than she was. Given that "Strip Tease" the novel was a dark comedy, having any character delve into the seriously dramatic was not really something I feel Hiassen intended.

Whether talking about the book or the film, do note that this story isn't a sex-fest. While the story does have a great number of scenes where the strip club is the setting, it's really done in such a way that it's not at all distasteful. I think that while some of the scenes where Erin was dancing were dragged on for the moviegoers who were just there to see Demi nude, the filmmakers did a commendable job keeping it from becoming entirely about sex and I give them credit for that. The story could have been slanted an entirely different direction with this kind of story.

For the real story, read the book and you'll enjoy. The movie makes a lot more sense when you've read the book. I own the movie and the book and enjoy both. March 24, 2008

Been to the circus lately?

PT Barnum said it best, well... you know what he said, and this movie says it from start to finish; proof? -you watched it! -not because you wanted to fulfill your hungry, starving intellect ( save the denial speech ) but to satisfy your lustful libido. -there, I said it; you just wanted to see Demi's new boobs!
Once all you 'high-and-mightys' out there get past that BS facade you've dragged throughout the reviews, you can get honest for a change and admit you got your moneys worth in eye-candy... and she was well worth whatever time and money was spent!
If seeing Demi as beautifully displayed as you heard she'd be, then I highly recommend buying and watching this movie.
Lets face it; Howard Hughes didn't profit in mad money selling the sensational hit THE OUTLAW to the public because it was a standard production of a western, but because of the advertised The Outlawspecially made bra to be worn and displayed by Jane Russell! December 21, 2007

Demi: 10, everything else: 3

I just watched Striptease last night. Demi looked amazing! I don't care how she got that way but her body was incredible. The dance sequences were great and using the Eurythmics/Annie Lennox songs was a perfect choice. As for the movie itself it was just an excuse to showcase Demi - the plot, characters, everything was just muddled and confused. Ving Rhames' character was pretty cool though - very Marcellus Wallace-lite. All in all this movie is okay if you watch it while having a few margaritas! July 16, 2007

Take it off, take it all off *yawn*

I watched this movie not too long ago after having not seen it in many years. I found the story to be plausible, but the bad acting and choppy story flow left much to be desired. From what I understand, this movie was originally set as a drama, but it was turned into comedy for the sake of mass appeal. If it was a drama it would have made a little more sense.

Demi Moore plays Erin, a single mom who is looking to make ends meet and keep custody of her daughter. Like a lot of desperate women with no education or skills, she turns to the pole. She's a likeable gal despite the sleaze and desperation a job and enviornment like this constitutes, and is completely drug free as well. (Now we're talking fiction!) Burt Reynolds, in the only true comic relief in this movie, is a senator who's a little off his meds one day when he sees Erin dancing and becomes obsessed with her, providing the one and only plot movement to see what will happen once they see each other again. And there's some crime or something that they witness in between and there's a twist in it. Or something.

THis was a vehicle for showing us Demi's buff and tumble body. I admit, I hope I will look like her at age 40, let alone after one, let alone after THREE children. And perhaps she wanted to make us a little jealous, but now I have every reason to be jealous since she's married to Ashton Kutcher 15 years her junior. Still, it's a weak movie. If you need some eye candy of Demi Moore, you're better off looking for stills on the Internet. June 14, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...