The other night saw us looking for something we both knew we'd enjoy and that led us back to The Masseuse, the original movie released in 1990 by Vivid. Starring the divine Hyapatia Lee (last seen by us in The Ribald Tales of Canterbury) as Barbara, the title character and (a very young looking) Randy Spears as Jim, her very odd client, this is one we purchased very early on in our porn-buying careers. We kept it because it is a classic movie, it's well-acted and a great story.
Jim is a writer, who works in a library to help stay in funds. He's also a frustrated 27 year old virgin (ie: socially inept and slightly weird). Completely unaware that Amy (Danielle Rodgers) is interested in him, he trawls the classifieds in the local paper and ends up at a massage parlour. There he meets Barbara for the first time. What starts with a massage leads to him asking her to shave his pubes and finally pleading for (and getting) a happy ending.
When next Jim meets up with Barbara, it's at the end of her shift and she reluctantly agrees to give him a massage before she leaves. Jim is very passive-aggressive and begs her to do more, eventually convincing her to give him a blow job. I think legally it's called "coercion" and probably carries a jail sentence. Anyway, she gives him the blow job, and it's obvious that she doesn't enjoy it, nor is she happy with him cumming in her mouth. After that, Jim asks if Barbara will meet him away from the parlour. She agrees (for a substantial fee) and says she will call him. After he leaves, Barbara cannot find her bra.
Jim continues to work at the library where the gorgeous Amy is pining, but he's developed an almost unhealthy fascination for Barbara, and either forgets arrangements to go out with Amy, or changes plans at the last minute. Barbara meets Jim at his apartment and what follows was the first funny part of the film - the sight of bachelor Jim hurriedly tidying up months of accumulated mess so that it's fit to be seen. When Barbara arrives, she's impressed at the effort and he offers her a cup of tea. Now I'm a tea-snob, and if anyone offered me a cup of tea made from two tea bags that had been sitting in a saucepan and boiled from cold, well I'm sorry, I'd refuse. Anyway, Jim, who really has no idea what to do with an actual woman, decides that kinky is the way to go and decides he'd like to tie Barbara up. She agrees, but chickens out at the last minute. I don't blame her; Jim got decidedly creepy when he got the rope out! He ends up covering her in oil then cumming all over her feet instead.
Jim turns all stalker-y at this point and follows Barbara home from work one day so that he can find out where she lives. Much to his complete surprise, he discovers that she is not only married (to a writer) but has a small baby as well. Somewhat confused he declares his love for Barbara but leaves.
In their final scene together Barbara actually fucks Jim, popping his cherry, and making him a man (this was a really great scene). He declares his love again and she admits that she likes him but cannot risk her family by continuing to see him and, after telling him he can keep the bra he stole, she leaves. When he tries to find her a few days later, he discovers that she and her family have bolted from their apartment, with no forwarding address. Thinking back over what Barbara has said to him, Jim accepts that he must move on, and finally dates Amy properly.
This film is one of Randy Spears's early films and although he was around 29 when it was made, he looks much younger. I'd also forgotten what late-80s mullets looked like! Hyapatia was absolutely superb and this was in the middle of her career (actually I've just looked at her website, and despite the fact that she's now over 50, she still looks fantastic! I hope I look that good at her age). I had also forgotten what good actors they both are. Not just as performers, but actual acting as well. Randy plays his borderline autistic, social misfit perfectly. Hyapatia handles the "I'm only in it for the money but I do like you" thing really well too. This isn't one for people looking for every possible position in a film, or a cast of thousands - it's only Randy and Hyapatia who have any scenes in this one and this isn't a marathon fuck flick. It does explore the relationship between a masseuse and her client and it does explore some non-vanilla issues.
This is one that you may have trouble finding on DVD (ours is an old VHS copy), but it is well worth the effort if you do.
