One of porn's most popular "big women", specialty performer Alura Jenson gets a character acting role, and does a fine job by it, in "Cheering Up Mom", a rather moving release from director Ricky Greenwood for the MissaX label.

Her striking physique, in the huge breasts/big butt specialty niche, is omnipresent, but without the usual campy glamour and fetish clothing/lingerie Alura usually sports for her many lesbian or occasionally sex with a trans-female appearances on screen. She's cast as a wife and stepmother who's having a near break-down caused by catching her husband with another woman (not shown). He's left and she's trying to put her life back together.

Her young stepson Tommy, played by Tyler Cruise, sympathizes with mom and soon they're reminiscing about better times and growing closer, with intimacy inevitably escalating to hot XXX sex. Cruise's underplaying and often flat line readings remind of another wooden actor Lucas Frost, who has become quite successful on the basis of his sexual prowess. Likewise, Cruise is strong in the sack and convincing in his multiple ejaculations, including a creampie, for mama.

But this is Jenson's show - displaying strong acting chops and building a highly sympathetic character one can root for within the soap opera format. I've seen her many times in campy videos, often built around the contrast of her Amazonian presence with petite co-stars like Piper Perri and Jojo Kiss. Also, Alura handles sharp dialog (by Ricky's favorite writer Maddy Burton) rather than relying on her trademark amusing ad iibs, thereby maintaining a serious mood throughout.