3.75
out of 5.00 -
Film:
4
Extras:
5
Video:
2
Audio:
4
-
7/25/2000
BRINGING UP BRAT (1987) benefits from an exceptionally well-plotted script by writer/director Paul Thomas -- something rather unusual and very pleasant to encounter in an adult film. Following the successful formula, this third installment in the popular BRAT series tells another story of Debbie (Jamie Summers) and her husband Morton (played by Tom Byron this time) as they decide to split up for a while. These two former lovers go off and enjoy torrid sex with various other partners, and then - after some plot twists in which their new future plans amusingly backfire - they ultimately realize just how good they had it before.
Summers is known as "the Brat" in part because of her sexy "little girl" looks, but the first scene here establishes her as more of, well, a bitch. Acting extraordinarily snippy, she remains susceptible to every distraction as Byron tries to have sex with her -- she even applies makeup and reads magazines as he licks her snatch and takes her from behind. Byron complains that she's "too dry" (certainly a rare moment in an adult film!) and, after some lubricant (makeup remover?!) solves that problem, he pumps her until he pops his cork. Summers then complains about the sticky mess and makes him clean it off her (another unusual moment for this genre)!
But it's all part of the setup for this disgruntled couple's trial separation -- and an excuse for them (and the filmmakers) to get a little crazy. Byron gets crazy first with his secretary Candy (Niki Knight) and later with both Candy and her very sexy cousin, who has wonderfully wobbly all-natural breasts. Their threesome is one of many fun highlights of this movie.
The bratty Summers, however, at first isn't quite so ready to find another partner. She goes home to stay with her mother (played by her real-life mom, Melani Summers) and, in a scene packed with deadpan humor ("I divorced your father because he insisted on squeezing the toothpaste tube from the top," her mom asserts calmly), they talk about her problems.
"All men suck," says Jamie.
"And some wives don't," counsels her mom, who then offers a great mini-lecture on what it takes to sexually satisfy -- and keep -- a husband.
The elder Mrs. Summers now has a new man in her own life, a retired baseball player who's visiting with his son and daughter, and it isn't long before Jamie is cavorting with first one sibling and then the other. There's a hilarious scene in which she seduces the boy -- a dippy nerd named Earl (Scott Irish) -- beside a swimming pool, teaching him the double meaning of "diving." This is followed by a good girl-on-girl scene between Summers and Earl's hot sister (Gail Force), who has wildly poofy blonde hair that makes her look like Debbie Harry on the cover of Blondie's album THE HUNTER (Earl's drop-jawed reaction when he learns of their lesbian tryst is priceless).
Eventually, though, Summers and Byron are happily reunited. The final scene, in which they enjoy a wild reconciliation fuck beside her mom's pool, features several lingering camera angles which display Summers' perfect body at its absolute best, and their joyful humping ends with a very amusing, unexpected and -- well, splashy -- conclusion.
The video quality of most of this disc is good, especially the close-ups, although many long shots suffer from slight tiling and "halo" effects, apparently caused by the transfer between formats. The generous extras and bonus material included on it, though, more than compensate. And don't miss the great selection of sex scenes on the disc's flipside, which are culled from an assortment of titles and are organized by the names of the featured actresses. It makes this an especially nice package all-around.
By:
Nick Gregory
4
out of 5.00 -
Film:
5
Extras:
3
Video:
4
Audio:
4
-
7/5/2000
"Bringing Up Brat" is the best of the early Jamie Summers/Brat videos produced by Vivid Video in the late 1980s.
It was primarily these "Brat" shot-on-tape videos that first allowed Vivid Video to reach out to a (VCR-owning) couples audience, build it's early reputation for "class", become the adult video equivalent of Playboy Magazine, and allowed them to forge the partnership between Vivid and Playboy's cable operation that would put millions into Vivid's bank accounts.
Anyway, "Brining Up Brat" has both Summers and Paul Thomas in top form. Director Thomas, a legitimate stage actor prior to turning to porn, is working with his "repertory" company of early Vivid sex performers: Kim Alexis, Gail Force, Nikki Knights, Tom Bryon (replacing Jerry Butler as "Mort") and Scott Irish all have supporting roles in this Jamie Summers vehicle.
As for Jamie Summers: This was her third or forth starring role with Vivid, and she appears confident, and comfortable with her costars-- having "bonded" with Tom Bryon through his on-again/off-again relationship with Summers' off-camera former roommate, Careena Collins. The Summers/Bryon on-camera pairings would be her most constant (and comfortable) throughout her career, ending with her final hardcore scenes in "House of Sleeping Beauty". Bryon, in a recent web interview, states that he enjoyed working with Summers, but that it was difficult to keep from cumming...according to him her pussy was like "warm butter". Wow!
Here Bryon gets Summers twice: First in the video opener, with Summers tanning herself with a sun reflector while seated in a lawn chair, ignoring Bryon between her legs, pumping for all he's worth; and again in the video finale, with Bryon and Summers locking loins again, this time outdoors by a swimming pool. This last scene is the second best scene in the video: Summers' perfectly tanned, nineteen year old natural body is put through several positions--before finishing in a sixty-nine with Summers on top of Bryon, who falls into the pool as he's cumming. This is the requisite "make-up" scene that sets up the next installment of the series. Therefore, Summers can let go and enjoy the sex.
The best Jamie-Jumping in this DVD, however, belongs to Scott Irish (Now who thought up THAT name?), which also takes place by the pool. In the formula that is The Brat Series, Jamie must always have an outside-the-marriage fling in the middle of the video.
This outdoor scene is the primary "infidelity" scene. Jamie teases Scott so expertly it's hard to believe that she wasn't playing to some real tension between the two of them (They had been in previous videos together, but this was the first and only time they would have on-camera sex. She may have known how much he wanted her, and used it during this scene.). Anyway, the scene sizzles: He eats her, she sucks him; they move to an incredible standing doggie (her ass looks GREAT in this scene) and finishes with a nice on-the-butt cum shot.
As in most Summers videos, she also hooks up with another girl to explore her lesbian side. This time it's with Gail Force. Nikki Nights, Summers frequent lesbian partner, is paired with Bryon in this video for his infidelity scene. The blonde-on-blonde thing works pretty well--both girls have similar bodies, and seem to really enjoy themselves.
Historical Note: Yes...that IS Jamie Summers' real mother in the video (NO...she does NOT do a sex scene, like mother/daughter, Selena and Delilah Dawn from the early 1990s). Listed as "Melani Summers" this former dancer, who has a "hippie" look about her, has a couple of speaking scenes with her real life daughter. Again, this was still the "innocent eighties" and porn hadn't gone so far that parents couldn't support the kids' choices. Doesn't sound like a Jerry Springer moment to me. Everybody seems pretty well adjusted here.
The extras, on the "B" side of this DVD, are worth the price of the disc by themselves. There are hot scenes from Nikki Tyler, Chasey Lain (from "Chasey Loves Rocco") and Nikki Dial (a very under-appreciated performer) in the "girls" hot scenes section. Also, there some good "anal" hot shots, including a great one with Channone and Marc Wallice (yes he wears a condom) from "Jenteal Loves Rocco", an excellent all-girl three-way featuring (surprise!) Felicia, and a three-way with Nina Hartley, Tom Bryon (looking very, very unkempt) and Asia Carrera that is very, very hot.
This is another excellent buy for the couples audience, which suggests that Vivid has turned the corner and is interested in good customer satisfaction.
Final Verdict: in spite of the fact that Vivid had made the TERRIBLE decision to add up-dated music to this (and the other Brat) video--which totally ruins the scenes (suggestion to viewer: mute the sound), I say RUN, DON'T WALK and get this DVD it's a Winner.
By:
Derek