And God Created Woman

Roger Vadim's remake of his own film opens with a ridiculous jail break from what appears to be a soccer mum in a mullet and tracksuit and leads to a number of other embarrassing sequences that are at least saved with an early nude scene from Rebecca DeMornay. The moment is quickly ruined by a music sequence or however else Vadim over idealises his leading lady. It turns out this scene indicates DeMornay's desire to escape from prison and pursue her realistic dream of being a famous rock and roll star. The whole experience starts getting humorous when DeMornay is sent back to prison and arranges to marry a young carpenter to beat parole on the advice of Frank Langella, a candidate running for governor of New Mexico that ran into DeMornay during her failed escape from prison. Despite the obvious predictability of the love triangle that film will pursue the film is redeemed from plenty of comedic moments thanks to the strong performances from DeMornay and a whole cast of unknown actors. It turns out irresponsible screw ups are a great source of comedy. However, plenty of embarrassing moments continue to show up in the film including a cringe worthy disrobing of some random actress who rocked up to work in granny panties and a nauseating navel gazing Langella. It is pretty depressing seeing how easily the men in this film can be led just because someone is attractive regardless what a terrible human being said person is. I think the film is meant to be a farce, it's all very light hearted with some tacky New Romantic 80s pop thrown in.

I couldn't stop laughing, this could easily become a cult classic for it's over the top writing, acting, music, everything. There were some hotter erotic scenes that were probably the only reason anyone ever watched the entire film. So predictable and ridiculous that it's one chuckle after another, so I guess I enjoyed it a little, but most likely not for the same reasons the film was made.

Apparently I need to write 10 lines of text to be considered a full review, I thought I summed it up in 2 sentences. This movie has no direction, it wants to be too many things and ends up nowhere. My only comment on De Mornay is that although she had her moments, on stage and being sultry, it seems to me she has about as much talent as most strippers.

This film is basically a failed attempt at anything, and a disgrace to the original.

Roger Vadim's 1956 film 'And God Created Woman' created the sensation that was Brigitte Bardot with its then shocking portrayal of a woman who would use her sexuality to get what she wanted or on a whim with equal abandon. Thirty years later, a parallel portrait of feminine caprice had little impact on movie-goers jaded by 70s excesses. The film itself is moreover less visually interesting than the earlier one, replacing the splendor of the Cote d'Azure with the drabness of the American southwest. In place of a woman as tropical orchid, we get a cactus flower. The plot moves forward in arbitrary jumps that make little sense. Somebody needs to remind Vadim that capriciousness and randomness are not synonyms. Add in that the male leads seem to be sleepwalking through the movie and there is little here to like. And the urban cool of Rebecca deMornay does nothing to evoke the energetic spunkiness of Bardot in the original. Avoid.

Robin Shea (Rebecca De Mornay) escapes from a New Mexico prison. She hitches a ride with James Tiernan (Frank Langella) who is running for governor. It turns out he's visiting the prison and he tells her to sneak back in. She runs into carpenter Billy Moran (Vincent Spano) who helps her and has sex with her. She calls up Tiernan who tells her to get marry for a better chance at parole. She offers $5k to Moran to marry her. She gets parole and moves in with him who lives with his son Timmy and his brother Peter. The usual relationship struggles.

This is notable for director Roger Vadim revisiting his iconic creation. It starts like an erotic B-movie with a naked De Mornay and women's prison. Then it become awkward with an angry Billy Moran. There is so much cheese that it is irredeemably bad. Even the rock music playing is cheesy. Robin Shea is not a compelling character and I don't like their relationship. There is very little appealing about this movie.

Probably one of the worst movies of the 1980's, 'And God Created Woman' stars Rebecca De Mornay as Robin, a prison inmate who convinces the prison handyman (Spano) to marry her for a large sum of money so she can get released on parole. When she's out, they move in together and don't get along. Robin starts a rock-band, hoping to fulfill her life long dreams of becoming famous. Soon Robin catches the eye of local senator James Tiernan, and they eventually have an affair. As Robin's new found freedom is put in jeopardy, she must do whatever she can to remain free, while not hurting the man she really loves.

If there was ever a movie looking for a point, this is it. The movie has no direction, it wants to be too many things and ends up nowhere. There are prison breaks, gratuitous sex, family squabbles, political banquets, and rock bands. The writing in this is so over the top I had a hard time figuring out if this movie was intended as a drama or a comedy.

Hack director Roger Vadim, remaking his own 1956 film of the same name, had hoped this might do for De Morney what the original film did for famous sex symbol Brigitte Bardot, but the film turned out to be a box-office dud, and she'd have to wait a few more years before her chilling performance in 'The Hand That Rocks the Cradle' finally saw her deservedly hit the big time.