I know, I know. We’ve all been waiting for it… an erotic thriller about child molestation. Now what could be hotter than that? Strangely, Play Nice is just such a film in the subgenre dealing with that very unsavory topic… and somehow manages to make it entertaining.

Seriously.

I’m not sure how they did it either, but the folks behind Play Nice took something so sleazy and un-hot, if I may use that term, and mixed it up with a lot of graphic sex (thanks to Robey and Ed O’Ross). They shook it up real hard (no pun intended! OK, maybe a little pun) and what came out was a likable romp about a serial killer named Rapunzel who stalks divorced men accused of diddling their little girls. Yikes! O’Ross is Jack “Mouth” Penucci, one of those I-don’t-play-by-the-rules kinds of guys that are always getting in trouble on the job even though they almost always get their man (or nymph if you will). While searching through police records, he meets the sheepish Jill (geddit? Jack and Jill?!?) and the two begin to see each other (a lot of each other, if you get my drift). Well, a couple of hot dates later and the bookish Jill is ready for some heavy duty S&M type action, which makes Jack not such a dull boy, but also a little uneasy. Mostly because he’s a divorced father who isn’t molesting his daughter so mixing rough sex while investigating this disturbing case just ain’t his style. It doesn’t take long before Jack decides to end it with Jill and wouldn’t you know it, the identity of Rapunzel isn’t far behind (in fact, the first scene gives the whole convoluted mystery away).

Horror fans will spy the awesomest final girl ever, Amy Steel from Friday the 13th Part 2 as well as Ann Dusenberry from Jaws 2. Both are in fine form, although relegated to smaller parts. I kind of wish this movie had starred Steel instead of Robey. Steel was such a natural; it would be interesting to see how she would have handled a sexy starring role. As for Dusenberry, she wowed me in The Men’s Club and I’m positive she would have been splendid as the lead here too. That’s not to say that Robey isn’t good, but these two… well, you just can’t compare them.

Maybe Play Nice was so interesting because it was directed by a woman (Terri Treas, who is most famous for playing Cathy Frankel on the Alien Nation TV series). There’s an appealing mix of insightful observation with pure exploitation and a grand sense of fun, making the film a unique viewing experience. It’s still one odd duck. The pacing and script are marginal and some of the acting is downright wooden, but although the films starts off a bit shaky, there’s something captivating lurking underneath and before you know it, you want to see where it goes. Yeah, yeah, yeah it’s, like, so totally obvious who the culprit is, but the concept is unique and learning about what drives Rapunzel to murder is kind of fascinating stuff. That doesn’t mean I ever had to see Ed O’Ross naked, but you take the good and you take the bad when you’re learning about the facts of life!