More a sexual-encounter session than a film, FRIEND OF THE FAMILY is a soft-core soap opera in which a dysfunctional family finds emotional and psychological harmony through the help of a healer who holds degrees in Nautilus workouts and Victoria's Secrets.
Hitting the bottle because her workaholic husband Jeff (C.T. Miller) neglects her in the bedroom, caring bimbo Linda (Annelyn Griffin Drew) dedicates herself to her stepchildren Josh (Will Potter) and Montana (Lisa Boyle). Josh is hiding the fact that he's switched his major from law to filmmaking
from Jeff. Promiscuous, foul-mouthed Montana defies Linda by accommodating studs every chance she gets. On the verge of mental collapse, Linda receives a surprise visit from Elke (Shauna O'Brien), the sibling of a girlhood chum. Linda's drooping libido gets a lift from lesbian sex with her
fetching houseguest. But after Elke arranges a smashing dinner party for Montana's pal Laura (Raelyn Saalman) and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg (Alex Demir and Betsy Monroe), Linda runs away to sort things out. In the interim, Elke encourages Josh to come clean to Jeff and gives him the
self-confidence to court Laura. Jeff blames Elke for his family crises, but reconsiders after Elke seduces him. After a makeout session with Elke, Montana decides she should only sleep with those she loves. By the time Jeff welcomes Linda back to their conjugal bed, Elke has embarked upon treating
the Kelloggs to her therapeutic love machinery.
While FRIEND OF THE FAMILY avoids the shrill antics usually found in tales of sexy interlopers who shake up "typical" households (a storyline that's been around since Pasolini's TEOREMA), it doesn't offer a dramatically viable substitute. Instead of introducing tension into Elke's mini-romances
with each member of her host family, the film attempts not only to transplant Dr. Ruth Westheimer's brain into Shannon Whirry's body but also to explicate how fornication is the ultimate expression of neighborliness. Some viewers will be perfectly satisfied to watch Elke display her tactile
techniques, but the erotic thermometer takes a plunge every time she opens her mouth to dispense her wisdom of bedroom holistics. Couple this with Linda's whimpering over her thwarted maternal instincts and you're left with a dull, pedestrian sexercise. Anyone fascinated by the film's premise
might find it more fruitful to seek out an Elke of their own and ignore this excessively verbose FRIEND OF THE FAMILY. (Extensive nudity, sexual situations, substance abuse, extreme profanity.) leave a comment
