Tony Tedeschi and Raylene portray a loveless couple who, if one is to believe Rumpus's plot, get the spark back after surreptitiously watching Herschel Savage put it to Sydnee Steele.

Not bloody likely. The Savage/Steele pairing is a crashing bore. Only slightly more compelling are most of the other sex scenes, as well as the film's leaden, though intelligently written, storyline. And do we really need to spend several long minutes watching Raylene shave Steele's bush into the shape of an elaborate cross? Real-life couples looking to put the spark back in their relationships sure ain't gonna get inspired by this tape.

With one glaring exception, that is. That would be sex scene two, in which a black latex-garbed Malitia, she of the permanent hot-and-bothered scowl, slowly and unmercifully teases Tedeschi, then finally lets him take her for a sweaty, balls-to-the-wall finale. It's a superbly conceived and feverishly executed sequence, one in which, unlike the vast majority of porn, viewers can actually sense a director's unwavering hand and vision throughout. Kudos to helmer Ralph Parfait, who deserves a pre-nom for Best Couples Sex Scene. [Parfait won't get it: Sex scene awards go to the performers. --Ed.] He also should be congratulated for some uncommonly refined directorial flourishes throughout the film's dialogue portions.

Kudos too to Raylene, who demonstrates she can actually act, and to the handsome -- if not ground-breaking -- production values.