Review – Wicked Pictures' Divorcees

by Chauntelle Anne Tibbals, Ph.D.

Cute and sweet.

gd motherfkkking laugh-out-loud hilarious!!

Wistful.

Meaningful.

Empowering.

Wicked Pictures’ Divorcees (2013) is all that and more. Written and directed by Stormy Daniels, this film – which is occasionally painfully on point in its real-life ludicrousness – is a thoughtful coming of age story… for grown, adult women.

Here’s the synopsis:

Now in their 30s, best friends Leanne (Stormy Daniels), Stacy (Julia Ann) and Carmen (Veronica Avluv) find themselves single and somewhat emotionally lost. After trying to heal through traditional methods, the trio decides a road trip is in order. Comedy – and Hot Sex – ensues as each tries drastically different approaches to get back in the saddle!

So here we have three BFFs, all of whom are single. They’re all also pretty quirky – Stacy is a little surly and 100% over it, freshly cheated upon Leanne is a bit more rageful and raw beneath her calm exterior, and Carmen is having a relationship with a fitness instructor… via her television… and her Hitachi. She’s really a mess.

(It’s worth noting that Carmen is not a divorcee, she’s a widow… because that happens too. Though this is only touched upon for a moment, the death of a spouse is extremely significant and uncommonly discussed. It’s also worth mentioning that Veronica Avluv, who plays Carmen in the film, lost her husband around about the time this film was released – such horrible sadness)

After some seriously funny (and occasionally bittersweet) sequences whereby each lady tries various tactics to reclaim her mojo, they all decide to go on a trip to LA…

…where they get “ma’am”ed all over the place. And score some drugs. And Carmen stalks Ricardo (the fitness instructor, played by Marcus London – beyond hilarious) with a Star Map. And Leanne and Stacy meet DJ Deejay and his pal Clooney (Brendon Miller and Tommy Pistol, respectively, in performances so hilarious that I cannot find the words). It’s all just too funny!

So this film is good because it’s good – the plot is simple but entertaining, the production value is high, and the sex is steamy. But Divorcees is also good because it explores so many greater dimensions and themes, all of them relevant to real life. In other words, this film is good because it’s exceptional.

Divorcees explores progressive ways of dealing with relationship-centered events and scenarios that can actually happen. As sad as it may be, romances often end – people die and people cheat and people grow in different directions. But what happens after? Seriously: what happens to “normal” people after a relationship ends? Divorcees explores the ridiculous and the mundane, all without some ludicrous 30+ Cinderella fantasy storyline.

Divorcees also shows women as friends… Now, maybe it’s just me, but over and over and OVER again you see representations of women in competition, women backstabbing, and women really hating other women. Consider the sisters in “Weeds” and/or consider another Wicked Pictures film, Tuff Love – the plot-driving tension here was pure haterade between jessica drake’s Queen B(adass) character and the progressively less meek up-and-comer, Adrianna. Not friends at all.

But Divorcees doesn’t do that. Divorcees is about three very different women who may tease each other, but they’re not hateful. In fact, the primary motivation for the entire plot is care and concern. It was so refreshing, both in terms of shattering stereotypes and (I’d like to think) showing a more nuanced version of reality.

Finally, Divorcees shows grown women as desirable and desiring, all while not being pigeonholed as cougars or MILFs. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with cougars and MILFs, nor is there anything wrong with showing young/er women as desirable… but it was nice to see three fine ladies 1) being showcased 2) without all those extraneous underpinnings.

This movie was about friendships and loss and moving on. It was a coming of age story for an age bracket that’s often dismissed and rarely discussed, at least not without derision. It was about life being forward and fun, a silly and unexpected adventure. It was women-centered, progressive, and thoughtful.

It was awesome.

Divorcees was written and directed by Stormy Daniels for Wicked Pictures. Buy your copy and/or watch it now here.

Image used with permission.