Review of Echo Park (1985) by Dan S — 17 Oct 2006

Flawed but interesting. This film looks at three disparate individuals who all live in Los Angeles, each with their own dreams and ambitions. Susan Dey is the woman at the centre of attention, the other two men desperately wanting her affections. When she gets a job as a stripper she has to deal with the exploitation of the industry, as well worrying about what affect it might have on her young son.

Stringing it all together is a sort of love triangle - one man wanting her for her body, the other wanting a more meaningful relationship but of course, it's the strong, athletic good-looking one who only wants her for sex but takes her to bed. That's perhaps the problem - the film thinks it's more unique than it is. It doesn't use comedy as well as it could have, and the most interesting relationship that concerns Dey's young son, is totally under-developed.