Hot Tamale

Story Line: Leaving his native Wyoming to achieve fulfillment as a musician in Los Angeles, Harlan Woodriff (Randy Spelling) gets involved en route with a con man (Jason Priestley) being pursued by gangsters from whom he stole a fortune in diamonds. The gems have been secreted in Harlan's car, and the thugs eventually come looking to reclaim them.

Bottom Line: Extremely well made for an indie film of this type, Hot Tamale is this summer's most pleasant surprise so far. In fact, we think it's one of Monarch's strongest releases to date. With a stronger cast, the movie could have easily secured theatrical distribution—not to denigrate the performances of Spelling and starlet Diora Baird, both of whom exhibit real star quality. Baird, who had a memorable bit part in Wedding Crashers, is especially good as Harlan's free-spirited gal pal, and her lengthy sex scene with Spelling is definitely the film's high point. Director Damian handles the actors well, maintaining a brisk pace and keeping the energy level high. His staging is pretty good too, although he uses one too many overhead crane shots. Plot-wise, there's nothing particularly noteworthy or innovative, but overall, the film has been put together skillfully and should please mainstream renters.