SPIKE LEE
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB. USA, 1996. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks. Screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks. Cinematography by Malik Hassan Sayeed. Produced by Spike Lee. Music by Alex Steyermark. Production Design by Ina Mayhew. Costume Design by Sandra Hernandez. Film Editing by Samuel D. Pollard. Cannes Film Festival 1996.
Theresa Randle plays a struggling actress who takes a job at a phone sex company to help pay her rent. Eventually getting so engrossed in her work that it threatens to stunt her career, she quits the business and begins to do it privately out of her home until it becomes too dangerous. The film aims to be a story of personal growth and confidence building, but Spike Lee’s direction fails to find anything overly interesting in the screenplay beyond the odd cameo by famous faces. Debi Mazar has a great supporting role as one of Randle’s co-workers, but Madonna‘s hilarious cameo as a phone sex operation madam is probably the best reason to watch this dull comedy.
