Sunday, October 22, 2017

THE FRUIT IS RIPE (1978) ** ½


A sexually carefree young woman named Patricia (Betty Verges) spends a week in Greece hooking up with random people and getting into various misadventures.  She picks up a married man at the airport, is nearly raped by two men while hitchhiking, and watches two lovers have sex in a tent.  Just when Patricia thinks she’s found true love with a guy on a boat, he winds up breaking her heart.  

The Fruit is Ripe is a freewheeling and good natured (for the most part) sex comedy.  Although it gets off to a playful and funny start, things get increasingly uneven as the plot meanders along.  Not that a plot is something that was absolutely necessary in a skin flick like this.  It’s just that the film’s episodic nature tends to get a bit repetitive after a while.
 

Verges gives a solid performance all things considered.  Her willingness to disrobe at the drop of a hat combined with her fetching screen presence keeps you watching.  (I particularly liked the scene where she gleefully hopped in the bathtub with a guy she just met.)  Sure, there’s a copious amount of nudity to be found, but the sex scenes themselves are a mixed bag and the whole thing is a bit too slight to be truly memorable.  As far as German ‘70s sex comedies go, you can certainly do a lot worse. 

AKA:  Coming of Age.

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