Group Marriage (1973)

Group Marriage: Directed by Stephanie Rothman. With Victoria Vetri, Aimee Eccles, Solomon Sturges, Claudia Jennings. Chris is not getting along with boyfriend Sandor and has an affair with parole officer Dennis. Dennis invites the couple to dinner with his ex-girlfriend Jan. At a picnic on the beach, Jan meets lifeguard Phil, who later sleeps with Chris and moves in with the other five. Phil brings in a person, lawyer Elaine. The “group marriage” of the six of them attracts media attention, which brings trouble and prejudice.

“Not quite thirty minutes into this film, itu0026#39;s clear that neither good storytelling nor funny comedy were foremost in the film-makersu0026#39; minds. As one might expect from a film in which two thirds of the lead actresses were former Playmates of the Year, the point here is Tu0026amp;A; no doubt about it. Needless to say, all three leads (Vetri, Jennings, Eccles) provide that abundantly.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnfortunately, the only u0026quot;actoru0026quot; in this film who can actually act is Victoria Vetri. Saddled with a poorly written character and a few minutesu0026#39; worth of bare breasts (undeniably enjoyable to watch, that; but not the stuff that respectable acting careers are made of) Vetri somehow makes the best of the role and her character does come to life. One of her last scenes, in which she is distraught and tearful, is a fine piece of acting by any standards… more than the script deserves. Claudia Jennings and Aimee Eccles donu0026#39;t fare so well. Also saddled with lifeless roles and a few more nude scenes, they each deliver their lines as if they were reading them from teleprompters: with complete lack of emotion, exactly what one would expect from a film of GROUP MARRIAGEu0026#39;s class. The three male leads are no better. They may as well have been played by cardboard cut-outs.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe pictureu0026#39;s screenplay is, in all respects, typical of an exploitation filmu0026#39;s. Chemistry between leads, snappy and/or humorous dialogue, deft comic timing? Nada. A liberal social message (u0026quot;communes are okay and should be legal!u0026quot;) is in there, but itu0026#39;s presented ineloquently and is frequently lost in the barrage of skin and poor comedy. Besides, are we actually expected to take seriously the message of a film that spends more time doting over the snugly-clad busts of its actresses than showcasing coherent dialogue and/or comedy?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, the picture is only worth finding if youu0026#39;re a rabid fan of Vetri, Jennings, or comedy that consistently falls flat on its face.”