Good Kisser (2019)

Good Kisser: Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton. With Kari Alison Hodge, Julia Eringer, Courtney McCullough, Rachel Paulson. Jenna and Kate open up their relationship to an alluring stranger in the hopes of spicing up their two-year romance, only for it to expose the faults in their foundation.

“Have you ever watched a TV show that ran for several seasons, and toward the end producers tried to bring closure to a characteru0026#39;s arc by introducing a romance that didnu0026#39;t actually make narrative sense? How did that make you feel?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBecause, well, thatu0026#39;s u0026#39;Good kisser.u0026#39; The intimacy is rather forced, not organic, and as a result is less than believable and not terribly sexy. Factor in the incredibly awkward u0026quot;getting to know youu0026quot; small talk that fills half the runtime, and… well…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOf course, letu0026#39;s not kid ourselves: Weu0026#39;re watching this because we want lesbian representation and romance in media, whatever form that takes and wherever we can get it. So the quality of the acting, the camerawork, the script–does it really matter? That depends on how desperate you are for that representation; if youu0026#39;re trusting on the strength of the dialogue to fill in the rough edges, please temper your expectations.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThereu0026#39;s something to be said for the periodic appearances of neighbor Clark. Like, I could almost imagine u0026#39;Good kisseru0026#39; being turned into a sitcom about the poly trio of lesbians and their neighbor who dispenses kernels of wisdom and advice as needed. Thatu0026#39;s the vibe Carter Rodriguez gives off in his unkempt appearance here; meaning no disrespect to the stars, it feels like heu0026#39;s the best actor on-screen, or in the very least, he has the best scenes. Which adds another level of awkwardness to the whole picture.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOh, and did I mention that the plot development waits until the last 25 minutes to show up? Yes, there is a plot! At the end!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat it comes down to is that u0026#39;Good kisseru0026#39; isnu0026#39;t all bad, but ultimately it plays at being something more profound, or at least fulfilling, while not actually making the effort to get there. As a result, it canu0026#39;t even satisfy the needs that we want it to.”