Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd in leather and chains. Is this a comedy or a horror movie?
That line may seem like a cheap shot — but why not? "Exit to Eden" is the cheap-shot movie of the week, a soft-core porno flick that is supposedly made legitimate by virtue of big stars, slapstick comedy, a few clever wisecracks and a warm-and-fuzzy love story.
As you might expect, it's an uncomfortable mix at best.
The plot is convoluted and silly — so much so that O'Donnell provides an occasional voiceover narration to explain the plot. It feels like an afterthought — or an act of desperation.
O'Donnell and Aykroyd are essentially supporting players in what was probably intended as an ensemble piece. But O'Donnell gets plenty of screen time — and it's easy to see why, since her one-liners provide the film's only laughs. And they are too few and far between.
O'Donnell and Aykroyd play Sheila and Fred, undercover L.A. cops who are tracking a pair of diamond smugglers named Nina (Iman) and Omar (Stuart Wilson). When Australian photographer Elliot (Paul Mercurio, of "Strictly Ballroom") inadvertently shoots pictures of them, Nina and Omar go after him.
But they arrive at Elliot's apartment just as he is departing for a vacation of sorts, to a "pleasure island," a psycho-sexual Club Med for deviates. There, Elliot meets the island's dominatrix, Mistress Lisa (Dana Delany), and they reluctantly fall in love.
Soon, Nina and Omar show up on the island, followed by Sheila and Fred. What follows are lots of jokes about sexual aberration, along with plenty of
nudity. What the film lacks, however, is laughs. Aside from a few of O'Donnell's remarks, nothing here is the least bit funny. And the Lisa-Elliot love match, which seems to be trying to say something serious about sexual dysfunction, is phony and cartoony.
Director Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman," "Frankie and Johnny," "Beaches") is really off his game here, and the movie is one of the year's worst stinkers.
"Exit to Eden" is rated R for violence, sex, nudity, profanity and vulgarity.