There've been countless adult films about "first-time" swapping but few as sincere as The Swap 2, which not so much pushes the envelope of dramatic sexuality as it licks it around the warm fuzzy edges. For your discerning video-renting couple who desperately need their fuzzy edges licked, this is the tick­et: sensual and arousing; explicit but tasteful — ie. the quintessential P.T. film. A sequel to Vivid's 1990 hit in title only, the focus Swap 2 is on two friendly married couples — Leena and Marc Wallice; Lene Hefner and Jon Dough —tottering on the fence of carnal experimentation. Neither couplecan muster the nerve to actually swap; the farthest they're willing to go is humping in the same room for a voyeuristic thrill. For the adventurous Leena and Dough, an amateur orgy videoprovides the inspiration for an actual visit to the hive of lustybehavior. This plays somethinglike Oppenheimer's credulouscuriosity at the first A-bomb testsite — the orgy house beingground zero for an atomic blastof carnal energy the likes of which Dough and Leena havenever imagined. Misty Rain, Veronica Sage, and Asia Carrera are eaten, boned, andspewed upon by TonyTedeschi, Alex Sanders and Chad Thomas with the ram­pant energy of wildebeests in the height of mating season. (P.T. and cameraman Jack Remy capture the finest filmed orgy since their collaborationon Vivid's Pretending.)

Eventually Leena and Dough take the plunge in separate encounters. Leena hooks up with Dyanna Lauren to polish Brad Armstrong's knob with an oral attack and double facial finish, while Christina Angel and Veronica Sage seduce Dough likelionesses on the prowl. Hot stuff.

Naturally, Wallice and Lene's mutual commiseration session leads to a tender love scene, which, despite the dulling thud of predictability, winds up as one of the hotter b/g scenes of the year. Lene's lingering orgasm under Wallace's merciless probing tongue is a thing of beauty to behold.

The best that Thomas, his cast and crew can bring to the screen is dictated by the script. In an industry where screen­plays are considered a nuisance, and writers often exist by default, it's no surprise that The Swap 2 (following in the standard footsteps as the usual soap opera-ish adult drama) is a verbal rhinestone in the rough. While formula writing in itself won't sink a feature — evidence the rating — it certainly hampers the creative mind, and at this juncture in the business we need all the innovation we can get. Sticking a fantasy lesbian grope (as good as it is, with Lene as the center­piece) smack in the mid­dle of the feature serves only the most gratuitous of purposes.

Soaring beyond the norm, the cast is uniformly excellent. Each deserves serious consideration for best actor/actress nominations. Slick boxcover art with Lene assures customer interest.