Retired Whores

Rating: Null/10 (10 August 2006)

Yet another coming of age movie where the obstacle to be overcome is a performance.
This one is differentiated only by having dancing girls along the way: pretty tame stuff pretending to be edgy.
The thing we are supposed to focus on is the charm of the girl, who doesn't dazzle. But let's see, the anchor of this thing is Maria Bello. The broad outline is conventional, the tough madam who has "been around" and cares about her girls.
Its a funny thing but where she's been as an actress is places we have encountered her. "The Cooler" was something transcendental in a way and I will never see her again without knowing how open she was. So she brings a sort of special depth to this pat role here, our personal experience of her own performances before she opened this bar.
We can't pretend that the person of the actress and that of the character can be separated. Sometimes it adds, like here to this thin movie.
Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.