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A WINK AND A SMILE Send This Review to a Friend
In its heyday burlesque involved sketches by comics as well as strippers, but these days burlesque is mainly about women taking their clothes off in a big tease that draws men into “gentlemen’s clubs,” where a lap dance can perhaps lead to a bit more in a back room. Still, a woman may be able to find some self-assertive satisfaction in mastering the bumps and grinds that turn men on. Welcome to Seattle’s Academy of Burlesque under the guidance of headmistress Indigo Blue.
Deirdre Timmons makes her directorial debut with “A Wink and a Smile,” a documentary about the assortment of ten women who enroll in the Academy for a six week course. There, with the aid of professionals, they learn how to strip. It is amusing at times seeing them in action as beginners.
However, after a while the film begins to seem repetitive, especially with respect to the interview sections. And believe it or not, there is not much very sexy about the film. But there is interest in the human quality involving women from various walks of life taking on the challenge and feeling better about their bodies. Not that any of their new-found abilities would seem much of a threat to the well-established pros. A First Run Features release.
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