The Bitches of Westwood

Hardly a classic, this Henri Pachard fantasy/comedy from the VHS era holds up well because of the excellent acting by performers who could chew gum, emote and have sex all at the same time. The wall-to-wall gonzo revolution has unfortunately rendered that obsolete.

So dipping back in time via a Caballero DVD we get John Leslie poking a bit of fun at himself and his career, portraying Jock Wesley, a porn superstar who in fact is perhaps The Devil himself. Three bored housewives (Sharon Kane, Krista Lane and Alexa Parks) take up amateur witchery, using a Fast Food Manual for creating spells and potions using household staples like milk and other ordinary ingredients.

They improbably conjure up the porn star, who soon is interfering with their lives, sexually of course. It's a cute if hardly engrossing story as written by ace screenwriter of the day Neil Wexler, and punched across by the cast.

Especially significant is Sharon Kane, who sings live for the camera (performing nicely on guitar as well) an original song "These Times". Wexler includes fine in-jokes, even referring explicitly to Caballero, and makes a key point about the Industry with Leslie's final line: "An angel has to make a living too".