Woke Nonsense-None!

It was movie night at the Bushwood home, and I suggested that we watch an action thriller called Flight Risk. Mrs Bushwood, on the other hand, held out for the movie Anora. A seeming chick flick described as a cinderella type story, for which the lead actess Mikey Madison has been nominated for an Oscar.

So having lost the argument once again, I nursed a bourbon in resignation and hoped for the best. To my surprise, the movie is essentially soft core porn wrapped around Pretty Woman, with a semi-dark surprise ending. So a warning, if you don’t want to see extensive nudity and soft core type sex, maybe re watch Pretty Woman or whatever. Both are mostly set in New York, although this movie is actually set in Staten Island.

The story begins with our heroine, Anora, as a prostitute hired to give a lap dance at her strip joint to the desolute son of a feared Russian Oligarch. The drug and booze addled Vanya is ably portrayed by Mark Eydelshteyn. We can all see he is worthless beyond being hopelessly rich and coddled by his handlers. They are unable to control his excesses, leading to hilarious outcomes.

After his lap dance with the nearly naked Anora, he becomes enamored of her. So at this point, you are thinking, here is a Russian accented Pretty Woman. She will wind up ensconced in a fancy mansion back in Moscow or wherever, free to sip Krug and slurp caviar.

Much of the middle of the movie involves Vanya, Anora, her hooker friend, his coked up worthless posse, running around at parties and clubs getting drunk and high. Anyone up for a trip on my personal jet to Vegas?In a drunken haze, Vanya proposes to and marries Anora in Las Vegas.

Much to the horror of his hapless handlers, Igor and Garnik; (portrayed with understated skill by Yuryi Borisov, and annoyingly, by Vache Tovmasyan). Time to call Mom and Daddy/Oligarch.

Returning to Staten Island, oor Anora gets a few days to revel in her new found status as the wife of a filthy rich, if shiftless and feeble, son of an oligarch. Rather than the end of the movie, this is the start of the final act. Vanyas parents are understandably horrified that their son is one, a coke head (think, Hunter Biden but not a criminal or as worthless), and two, married to a hooker. De’rmo!! They rush to Staten Island and join the story.

I will leave the rest of the story for you, to see how it all turns out. Notably Richard Gere does not appear in a limo. Ms. Madison, (pretty with a rockin bod), effectively portrays a tough but tender NYC prostitute. You will root for her. And, I suspect, enjoy the movie.

If you enjoy comedies/dramadies involving prostitutes, a few I can recommend. The aforementioned Pretty Woman, an excellent movie. Risky Business, with Tom Cruise; original and funny. Night Shift, which hilariously introduced Michael Keaton and features the Fonz (Henry Winkler). Klute, a taut action movie. Richard Gere reverses type and plays a male hooker in a mystery/thriller; (nudity I think). All worth the watch when they show up on the rotation on HBO or found on Prime. Y’all up for a horizontal Bop, sailor?