Splendor (1999)

For fans of writer/director Gregg Araki, the romantic comedy Splendor (1999) is a far cry from his teen angst-riddled Gen X dramas: Totally F***ed Up (1993), The Doom Generation (1995), and Nowhere (1997). This R rated flick is all about a struggling actress named Veronica (Kathleen Robertson). Up until this point in her life, she’s had a fairly boring Midwestern life. But since she moved to Los Angeles, her dating world has opened up in a big way. For starters, she finds herself being courted by two men who are polar opposites. Abel (Johnathon Schaech) is a freelance writer with all the sensitivity that a woman could ever desire. And Zed (Matt Keeslar) is a dude with a hard-living attitude who is full of animal lust. As such, she proceeds to bang them both. Maybe the “X” in Gen X stands for X rated. Alas, there’s not much nudity in this pic. However, we do get to see Matt and Johnathon kiss each other in one scene. In another, Mr. Schaech and Mr. Keeslar steam up the lens when the topless hotties wash up together in the bathroom, which includes a view of Keeslar’s keister through the shower curtain. To further complicate the situation, a third man enters the equation. Ernest (Eric Mabius) is a producer and director for the series that Veronica just landed a gig on. This movie proves if three’s a crowd, four is a big sexy mess. In other words, you better watch the movie with a towel!