Remember all those Happy Hooker movies from the ‘70s? They were based on the books by real-life hooker Xaviera Hollander and caused a minor scandal back in the day. While Hollywood was in the process of churning out the first adaptation of The Happy Hooker starring Lynn Redgrave, Canada was busy making this flick with the real Xaviera in her first and only starring role.
Xaviera stars as a porn star named Gabriele who has had numerous affairs with several politicians. Fearing she could potentially ruin their careers, they get together and run her out of America. The fictional country of Gestalt is the only nation who will offer her asylum, mostly because the crooked dictator thinks her arrival will draw attention away from his shady dealings.
This is a fairly weak sex farce, but the participation of Hollander makes it notable. The title sequence is fun as Xaviera’s plane is denied access to several countries as she is deemed “too sexy” to land. After that, it’s basically a collection of half-hearted subplots strung together.
Most of the humor is unfunny, but it’s nothing too painful (aside from some lame gay stereotypes). There are some oddball asides (like the “International Detective” who has his own theme song) and at least one amusing sight gag. However, there’s way too much time spent on a dumb bicycle chase. Also, the movie ends with a pie fight, which should really tell you something.
It’s hard to imagine why Xaviera didn’t become a B-movie star as she’s pretty good in this. She looks the part and is quite sexy. Heck, she probably could’ve played herself in The Happy Hooker movie (or at least in one of the sequels). Maybe the thought was her accent was too thick for some viewers, but I didn’t mind it. If only her brief topless scenes had better staging. (She spends way too much time with her back to the camera.)
Ultimately, My Pleasure is My Business is an OK slice of softcore hokum. Your average moviegoer will likely be unamused, but it’ll be worth watching if you’re a fan of the Happy Hooker movies. I can’t guarantee you’ll be as happy as Xaviera though.
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