The only thing we can't figure out about Raw is why Joel Lawrence doesn't get the job as the spokesrobot for Extermino. His audition for the commercial is a classic job of overacting, with a guttural voice right out of the worst Power Rangers episode. But of course, if he had gotten the part, there'd be no Raw.

In a sense, Raw is an anti-pornographer's dream. Its story catalogs the rise and fall of a male porn actor, from his chance offer of "extra" work in a porn film starring Jessica Jewel to his last-chance scene with... but we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Jewel (in a cute maid's outfit with a feather-duster buttplug up her ass) is supposed to be fucking just Tyce Buné; but the director wants the extras (Lawrence, Michael J. Cox, Kyle Stone, Ian Daniels) to get into the act also, leading to some last-minute money negotiations in mid-fuck. Jessica winds up riding everybody's cock, not to mention taking part in two d.p.s and a double-vaginal. Impressive.

And there's a moral lesson to be learned from this feature: Always be truthful with the one(s) you love – at least about sex. But bride-to-be Kylie Ireland (Joel: "You used to be a stripper." Kylie: "Exotic dancer.") is too busy planning her and Joel's impending wedding to inquire too deeply into the "extra" work he lucked into... and before you know it, Joel, as "Buddy Brando," is gracing the cover of AVN (nice mock-up, by the way) and several tape box covers.

Of course, Joel also gets to be present on porn sets – such as the one where Dr. Tyce and nurses Donita and Keisha apply the healing arts to patient Lance Romance. Indeed, there's nothing like the curative powers of anal sex – doggie style with Keisha and mish with Donita.

But when it gets to his own prison guard scene (with "jailbird" Syren), Joel has the temerity to inquire of director F.J. Lincoln what his motivation is. "Are you out of your fuckin? mind?" exclaims Lincoln, in a pre-nom worthy non-sex performance. "Look at her! Look! Look! Look! She is a hot fuckin? woman. She wants to fuck you. You're a guy; you want to fuck her. I would imagine it's self-explanatory."

Finally, Lincoln has to call in Lawrence's agent, Herschel Savage, to explain it all to him: "You gotta understand," says Herschel, "we're not doin? art here; we're not makin? serious drama; we're makin? a fuck film. And that means you say your lines and then you fuck her. It's not that complicated."

And, as it turns out, it isn?t, from the b.j. through the bars, to the reverse cowgirl on the cell's toilet, to the mish on Syren's cot.

The job is starting to affect Lawrence's dreams, however, and he imagines Kylie stripping at their wedding and taking on a trio of "Best Men" (Cox, Stone and Steve Hatcher). It's a sexual tour de force, beautifully shot and edited, and easily one of the tape's best scenes. Cox licks Kylie's high heel as Hatcher licks her clit in glorious slo-mo. Then it's b.j.s all around, then some horsie, before all the guys get shots at her ass, mish and doggie styles. Pre-nom this baby for Best Group Scene.

Pride goeth before the fall, and Lawrence refuses to do a scene so he can fuck Anita Cannibal in his trailer. She b.j.s him in a montage, followed by mish, horsie and a facial.

But Kylie, in a lovely black wig, is back for the finale, riding Hatcher's cock backward, then coming around for some anal mish before a cumshot directly into her mouth.

Tour de force hardly describes the artistry of this production, which admittedly owes more, plot-wise, to a mainstream "movie of the week" than to porn reality – but no one will accuse Passolini of being a documentarian. Lawrence goes on the short list for Best Actor, with Passolini right next to him as Best Director, and the feature itself as Best Video.