The Stepmother 5: Her New Son

Tanya Tate gets lousy billing even though playing the title role in this quality Nica Noelle erotic drama, but she gives one of her finest screen performances, clearly happy to be in the company of Noelle and Sweet Sinner. That's because she has the opportunity to both play-act and be natural (sex-wise), neither of which are afforded to her in her hundreds of star-making gonzo appearances.

Feature is unusual in that it was shot over a three-month-plus period, while most of Nica's great videos usually last only 2 days, often consecutive at that. The time span doesn't show in the finished product, further proof of my long-held contention that Adult Cinema is on a continuum with Mainstream film, not some exotic distant relative, and contrary to the current industry wisdom (and the comments of 99% of IMDb reviewers) should be evaluated on the same standards of mainstream shows, albeit low-low budget ones.

Story opens with a family dinner involving the entire cast, except for Xander Corvus and his mom Magdalene St. Michaels (who gives a clipped, stern and buttoned-up letter-perfect performance). Group is celebrating the impending nuptials of Dale DaBone and his new wife Tate; Maggie is his ex-wife and clearly bone of contention in the otherwise chummy brood. Also getting married are Tate's son Seth Gamble, engaged to the plain but earthy Cece Stone, a lesser known young actress who holds her own among this cast of seasoned heavyweights.

After an introductory sex scene of Dale humping wife-to-be Tanya, the drama unfolds as Maggie visits, chilly as she says: "I hope you both enjoy my home", clearly bitter at having been replaced. Seth is turned on at first sight by the much older woman, a notion that Nica drives home by subliminally inter-cutting shots of Maggie while Seth humps his fiancée Cece.

When Seth visits Maggie things quickly escalate and their May-December coupling in bed is well-performed and strictly in character. no extraneous sex scene at all.

That sets the stage for revenge, as Tanya visits Maggie's home and seduces her son Xander in a terrific scene - it would be hard to imagine any red-blooded male (or lesbian for that matter, given Tate's laudable girl/girl career) resisting her. Noelle contrives a strong and logical ending, to one of the better editions of this series.

The auteur's dialog is sharp, as witness by several snatches recorded here by previous IMDb contributors. All told, a very worthwhile title buried in Sweet Sinner's catalog.