Capsule Reviews: <i>The Escort</i>

Capsule Reviews: The Escort

Quick-hit movie reviews for the masses.

The Escort (2016) is a thoroughly modern romantic comedy for the "selfie generation," as one character labels millennials in the film. It's a breezy and brisk jaunt through the minefields of modern romance. Our guides are an unemployed writer using sex to fill the emotional void at his empty core, and a Stanford-educated prostitute with great business sense and exquisite taste in evening wear.

Early on, the film notes its debt to other hooker with a heart of gold films like Pretty Woman, but departs slightly from the formula to explore current issues and preconceptions affecting milliennials. The film has at least a little to say about a lot of topics, including sex workers, sex addiction, cyberbullying, feeling washed up and cast aside in your twenties, and more. Full disclosure: I am not a millennial (Gen-Xer in the house), so while I can't vouch for the accuracy of the generational portrayal, it at least feels honest to me.

This being a romantic comedy, the central relationship between Mitch (Michael Doneger) and Natalie (Lyndsy Fonseca) begins as a business arrangement—though not the kind you're thinking—but quickly evolves, with both characters falling hard for each other, despite the walls they've constructed to protect themselves from pain. Doneger and Fonseca share an easy chemistry and their verbal sparring is fun and often times quite funny. At one point, Natalie asks Mitch if she's "fucking hot enough" for her line of work, and his wavering, milquetoast reply shows his unease with anything involving emotions, while also making you totally want to smack him upside the head. I wanted to scream, Cher-like, at the often-annoyingly mopey Mitch, "Snap out of it!"

The Escort is a moderately tasty little confection that goes down easy but doesn't leave a huge impression. Beyond Fonseca, that is. Her performance lingers, and is the sort of strong, sexy, and smart lead role she should play more often. I'm currently watching Nikita and she's delightful as Alex on that show, but this role really shows off her range. She's got that something that makes an actor stand out in a crowd. Maybe it's those big, expressive eyes, or the way she smirks when delivering a subtle jab at Dongeger's expense. Whatever it is, it's on full display in The Escort. Currently streaming for free on Tubi, the film is worth a watch for Fonseca's excellence alone, but stick around for some funny bits between Doneger and cult movie icon Bruce Campbell, who plays his groovy, New Age, musician father.

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