As the late Sam Weston a/k/a "Anthony Spinelli" parted ways with producer "Jerry Ross" (actually 2 guys behind this pseudonym), who owned the rights to the title, he couldn't make an "official" sequel to their multi-award-winning adult blockbuster TALK DIRTY TO ME. Yet he still felt the need to give equal weight to the character of shy Lenny, indelibly portrayed by the underrated Richard Pacheco, as he had to that of swaggering womanizer Jack (the unparalleled John Leslie's signature performance). Hence NOTHING TO HIDE was born. Ironically, it is considerably closer in spirit to the much-lauded original than any of the certified sequels (remember the tiresome mermaid business in parts 3 & 4 ?), though Ross and Weston rejoined forces for TALK DIRTY TO ME ONE MORE TIME...and yes, there was a follow-up to that one as well ! To confound the issue even further, production company Cal Vista (now Metro) released parts 2, 3 & 4 in the NOTHING TO HIDE franchise, excellent movies in their own right but little to do with Weston's masterpiece.
Their relationship inspired by Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men", Jack and Lenny are back. Jack's still doing what he arguably does best (i.e. picking up girls) while his buddy's hoping for leftovers. Early performances by cult starlets Erica Boyer (who took center stage in Joe Davian's MANHATTAN MISTRESS) and Misty Regan (the star attraction from Lawrence T. Cole's INFLAMED) will keep fans riveted to their seats. Lenny gets lucky when he literally bumps into the equally slow-witted Karen (a career turn by lovely Tigr a/k/a "Chelsea Manchester", the drug-addicted rock star from Howard Winters' sublime STAR ANGEL) and true love happens. This doesn't sit too well with Jack who realizes he's about to lose his adoring sidekick.
The story, written by Sam's son (as "Michael Ellis"), delivers some of the best-drawn characters you'll ever encounter in porn as well as several lines of quotable dialog. Leslie's pick-up line to the incredibly gorgeous Boyer is particularly memorable. Jack Remy does his characteristically sterling job behind the camera, adding a glossy sheen that belies the flick's modest budget. No such luck however with the typically chintzy Ronnie Romanovitch score, his usual crossbreed of fingersnappin' disco with '70s TV show type music (think STARSKY & HUTCH) with a couple of schmaltzy songs thrown in for good measure. From a sexual point of view this movie tends towards the conservative with its absence of lesbo liaisons or any carnal configuration involving more than 2 participants. The sex scenes are so well integrated into the plot however that few will complain of a lack of variation or, indeed, heartfelt passion. Weston, after all, made real movies that just happened to have explicit sex in them and this is considered his all time best by many in the know. Personally, I would rank it a very close second to his extraordinary SEX WORLD.
