AFTER PORN ENDS 3: DOCUMENTARY (2018) ** ½

This is the third entry in the absorbing After Porn Ends saga, which lets us know what our favorite porn stars are up to in their retirement years.  The first two were directed by Bryce Wagoner (who remains involved as a producer), but this one is directed by Brittany Andrews, who certainly knows something about being a porn star.  (She herself was profiled in Part 2.)  However, she doesn’t really bring a whole lot to the table as After Porn Ends 3:  Documentary doesn’t dig into the performers’ lives as much as the other films in the series.  

Among the performers featured are Christy Canyon (who goes from porn to becoming a radio DJ on Sirius XM), Bonnie Rotten (who defies her tumultuous upbringing to find porn stardom while gaining acceptance for heavily tattooed performers along the way), Jenteal (got into the business at the behest of her boyfriend and now makes a living selling hemp oil), and Priya Rai (who goes from being an adult performer to becoming a cage fighter).  Some of the most successful stars (like Tera Patrick, Alexandra Silk, and Luc Wylder) managed to keep their “brand” going by creating their own porn empires.  There are also snippets from interviews of current porn stars taken at various red-carpet events, but they aren’t all that revealing and feel more like filler than anything.

All of this is certainly watchable and informative.  It’s just that it lacks the devastating power of the second entry and the novelty of the first movie.  It also doesn’t help that there’s no big revelations here.  This crop of stars seems surprisingly well-adjusted, which is great news for them.  Dramatically, it makes the film a bit uneventful.  (Only Jenna Presley seems to have had it rough, but she found Jesus and seems okay now.)  There’s also the random segment on Herschel Savage that almost feels like it came from an entirely different movie.  He basically reminisces about his past performances and even watches one of his old scenes, but we never learn where he is or what he’s doing now, which is odd.  

These issues aside, if you’re a fan of any (or all) of these performers, I’m sure you’ll want to see it.  All the ladies (and the gentlemen it must be said) have remained well preserved over the years.  Despite my qualms, I would still gladly watch another sequel.  I just hope the next batch of interviewees have more to say.