As someone who fell into Shannon Tweed's catalog of flicks much later on in life, 'Sexual Response' surprised me. Not only because she doesn't sport her traditional blonde look, but because real effort was put into it's plot device before it was well worn territory. The thriller melodrama is decently done, a few predictable cliches and the T&A is certainly here. Though it's not the flick's only strength.
Dr. Eve Robinson (Tweed) is the host of a popular relationship radio show where she doles out truths to callers, listeners while unhappy in her personal life. She's married to wealthy Phillip (Vernon Wells) but feels unfulfilled sexually and neglected. This leads her to mysterious younger artist Edge (Emile Levisetti) as the sex amps up, the cheating is at risk of being discovered and other truths come to light.
Flicks like these - the entire genre - quickly became wham bam thank you ma'am style of erotica. Get to the juicy parts - female nudity - and everything else (story, characters, atmosphere) is secondary. Here it's a slow build, the simulated sex scenes don't feel forced or just thrown in and they don't come at the price of neutering the story. I liked that different sides of Eve are shown and not always complimentary to her. Tweed made a name for herself getting naked, but it's a pic like this that reminds you she wasn't a bad actress too. Levisetti is decent as the other man because all he has to do is be hunky, vibes of dangerous and Wells does a decent job of portraying a stuffy gentlemen who also isn't stupid.
'Sexual Response' won't change how you feel about this genre if you already loathe / dislike it, but I think this is one of the better examples to be found. The spicy torrid romance feels grounded, there's a few surprises and the ending is solid. A good musical score, camera work elevate the mood here. If you're a fan of Tweed you'll want to check this out as she supplies all the nudity including a gratuitous shower scene (of course).