Just Can't Get Enough: The True Story of the Chippendales' Murders (2001)

Really worthwhile indie film for Chippendales fans

I'm a big Chippendales fan, and this movie really captures some of the spirit of Chippendales LA in the 80s. The guys are awesome. Fitness model Johnathan Aubrey is spot-on for the lead. JP Pitoc (ironically, the go-go boy from "Trick") is good too. If you know the true story of the Chippendales guys breaking off to form "Adonis", you can follow this movie pretty well (they use the name "Skin Deep" in the movie). A lot of names are changed, but the commentary track is sometimes very detailed, mentioning the names of Chippendales greats like Michael Rapp. I didn't really care for the portrayal of the Colón hit man character. Kind of cheesy, but worth seeing if you're a fan. If you're just looking to see strippers, buy the Chippendales DVD. March 9, 2008

Wow. Sexy, accurately historical, moving, get-up-and-dance, all in one!

The original Chippendale dancers absolutely made history, and Just Can't
Get Enough tells us the story in one of the sexiest, more historically
factual, and well-made movies about the time. It is so much fun to watch
that you will a)wish you were part of the Chippendale team, and b)want to
go out and dance. Think Boogie Nights, Saturday Night Fever, and Studio
54, only less Hollywood, more the true story of a particular place, and a
particular group of dancers -- one that would most certainly go down in
history.

Following the original gang that started the club, and the name
Chippendale, the movie shows us what happened from the beginning, when
nobody knew what they were doing, and everyone just had a dream....a dream
to make a lot of money using their bodies. It was really quite simple. We
see how this plan affected the dancers' personal lives, how the money, and
the fame, started to take over their lives. Next we go through the years
when the club was thriving, when the money was rolling in, and the sex and
drugs were at everyone's disposal. Then, when gay men wanted to come
through the doors to drool over the sexy pecs and big you-know-whats,
things started to go down hill. Corruption took over, people ordered other
people killed, and eventually, the Chippendales were essentially murdered
to the ground. The Chippendale dancers are a part of history -- a part of
sex work history, of gay history, of LA history....of history.

Just Can't Get Enough does a wonderful job telling their story. The acting
is great, the story is historically correct, the message very powerful.
Get this movie and learn how, for the Chippendale dancers, they just
couldn't get enough. (And it's definitely sexy enough that you won't be
able to get enough either!) January 7, 2006

Worth watching once...maybe twice...

For the hot guys only.

Sadly the film doesn't stand up to much critical scrutiny. The acting is uneven with some performances being good and others laughable. The script is also uneven, laden with cliches. The costuming and make-up is far worse. I know that this is a period piece set in the early 80's, but the wigs look atrocious -- exactly how they shouldn't -- like wigs!

Yeah, the guys are hot enough and there is even some (but not enough) full frontal male nudity, so it might be worth a second look, but overall the production qualities leave much to be desired. June 11, 2004

Doing It The American Way

Given the subject matter, you expect this independent film by director/writer David Payne to be full of naked bodies gyrating to the beat of club music--certainly not a serious movie with plenty of bite. But JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH scores in both directions, and in spite of the abundance of skin on display it is the story rather than the bodies that linger in mind after the movie ends.

As seen through the eyes of club worker Chad (Johnathan Abue, playing a role loosely based on real-life Dan Peterson), JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH is surprisingly dark and surprisingly factual. Steve Banerjee (Shelley Malil) is just another club owner until he stumbles into the idea of male strippers playing to a women-only audience, and the ringing cash register attracts ambitious and obnoxious choreographer Nick Denoia (Peter Nevargic). Once Denoia gets wise to Banerjee's shady dealings he quickly blackmails the club owner into signing away the touring rights to the show. But when it comes to underhanded manipulations, Banerjee proves Denoia's equal and then some: the sex, drugs, and rock and roll atmosphere of the club quickly gives way to a headlong rush into murder, and the ride is straight down all the way.

Payne's script isn't as tight as it might be, and it sometimes goes off on tangents that add little to the overall impact of the film, but the actors are first rate all the way and increasingly convoluted nature of the conspiracies and counter-conspiracies make for a fascinating ride. And to up the ante, Payne endows the entire film with an unexpectedly dark humor and sense of irony that rings true even in the movie's weaker moments.

Yes, there are plenty of naked bodies (both male and female) on display, but ultimately JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH is less about sex than it is about an extremely unsavory and seldom acknowledged side of the American dream, a drive for success that flattens every moral obstacle it meets. In one particularly memorable scene, Banerjee snarls that Joe Kennedy built his fortune on illegal bootleg liquor and even sitting President Reagan lied to congress to finance a secret war; bending the law is the American way. But not every one can get away with it--and even for those who do there is a price. In this instance the price ranges from emotional deadness to drug addiction to accidental incest to blood. And every one has to pay.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer January 2, 2004

Amazing Soundtrack

There's something charming about this movie. It's scrappy, rough around the edges, and fun. I wasn't sure what to think with the lame o box, but it's full of surprises. For one, the music. Who knew this movie was packed with wall to wall 80s gems like Wall of Vodoo and Flock of Seagulls? And also, the humor. You couldn't tell by the cover, but this is a really funny story, especially if you appreciate odd human behavior. The marketing guys should be slapped silly, because I passed by the movie a dozen times before finally deciding to purchase it, and I'm glad I did. October 17, 2003

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