Stranger Than Fiction

Evelyn (Kenna James) is a senior copy editor and proofreader for the struggling company Wrightwood Publishing, which has recently hired bestselling author Drew McClintock (Damon Dice) as a consultant in hopes of boosting the company’s lagging sales. Shy, introverted and meek in her everyday life and profession, Evelyn’s true passion lies in writing her own steamy romance stories under her secret identity Maxine Powers. Finding herself enraptured with the ruggedly handsome McClintock, Evelyn decides to take a rare chance by becoming her ultra confident alter ego Maxine Powers in the public eye. Unfortunately for Evelyn, the Vice President of Wrightwood Publishing Jackie Martin (Ana Foxxx) feels threatened by the public display of support Wrightwood is showing Maxine Powers, and she moves to derail Evelyn’s rise to prominence before it can get started.

This is Holly Randall’s third feature for Wicked Pictures in 2019. The fact that they have continued to bring her back to shoot movies for them at such a steady rate shows their confidence in her skill, her vision and her product — and that confidence is well-placed. Randall excels at telling a compelling story while presenting steamy sex to accompany said story effectively. She has an eye for visual detail, which always enhances a porn film, and she continues to create characters that feel natural and are easy to connect with not only on a physical level (this is porn after all) but an emotional level as well. This consistency is a credit to Randall’s knack for assembling strong casts for her movies as well as writing parts that suit them.

James takes the lead in this movie and she delivers the strongest acting performance I’ve ever seen from her. She is delightfully cute and relatable and her character is extremely sympathetic. It is Kenna’s smile, coupled with subtle nuances like the way she fingers her glasses and the way she looks away from confrontation during awkward conversations that inject Evelyn with such warmth and geniality. Honestly, watch the exchange between Evelyn and Drew; it is played brilliantly by Kenna. There’s another moment where Evelyn starts to let herself slip into a sexual fantasy and it’s such a vulnerable and pure moment that the audience can’t help cheer for her. Yes, this is porn, so it’s technically a tease for a solo scene, but porn can be more than sex … and narrative moments like this, is what makes a porn feature stick with you.

Small Hands plays the affable bartender Charlie, friend of the hero, in a role that you don’t often see him in and as always, he does a great job. The man is such a versatile performer. And speaking of versatile, Brad Armstrong shines in a non-sex role as the supportive boss who holds true to his principles despite the struggles of his company and his character adds a ton of exposition to the story which helps keep the heartwarming tone of the movie true. On the other hand, Ana Foxxx creates the exact opposite feeling with her portrayal of Jackie Martin. She’s overbearing, condescending and all in all quite the bitch — which works as a perfectly believable villain to James’ Evelyn. I enjoyed the dynamic between these two, especially when Evelyn took control and became the alpha female Maxine Powers. There is a wonderfully tense moment between Maxine and Jackie when they first meet that really works to establish their contentious relationship and both ladies really nail it. That was such good storytelling!

When it comes to the sex, this movie contains four sex scenes, which transpire very naturally throughout. Small Hands and Kenna James get nasty after the bar closes down in a scene that is not only hot, but narratively relevant as well. Again, Randall shows a knack for weaving sex into her stories seamlessly. There’s a lot of body worship to open this scene, which is nice. Hands is such a passionate lover and every time I watch him, I’m so impressed with his ability to be tender and rough simultaneously with his partners. I absolutely loved the way Randall alternated between wide shots of Kenna on the barstool, legs splayed wide with Hands’ face buried in her pussy and shots of her face as the pleasure shined through her expressions. Evelyn (as Maxine) gets fairly wanton in this scene, deepthroating Charlie messily and letting him fuck her doggie style over a barstool. She also rides him nicely in cowgirl on a table and the angle is just right. Kenna’s ass really looks great and whew, she knows how to use her hips! It’s such an erotic visual and would be my favorite sexual moment of the scene were it not for the incredibly hot face sitting that came out of nowhere! Wow what a beautiful capture!

Aaliyah Love and Jake Adams are paired together in a scene that depicts an encounter from Maxine’s book, which is why it’s overly dramatic in a nice ode to the romance novel trope. Love (one of my favorite performers) pulls off a brilliant southern accent that had me smiling the entire time. Goodness she is wonderful. Kudos to key makeup artist Azzie Kayampour who did an awesome job creating realistic-looking wounds on Jake Adams, who plays a soldier recovering in an infirmary tent. I also loved the attention to detail in this scene as it featured a WWII rifle, helmet, cot and even a canteen! It really brings the audience into the fantasy created in the pages of Maxine Powers’s book. Nice work by Randall. I love how much these two kiss and when the time finally comes for Adams to get his hands on Aaliyah’s bits, he takes his time with her. Aaliyah on the other hand is a bit more voracious and chokes on his cock with abandon. She gags quite a bit and at one point is so on the verge of collapse she kicks her feet in desperation but still buries Jake’s cock down her throat like she can’t get enough. The scene could stand on the blowjob alone. Reverse cowgirl is also a big win in this scene as Aaliyah looks simply gorgeous fully nude, pearls around her neck, svelte body bouncing on Adams with abandon.

After some prodding and a few drinks to loosen the inhibitions, Charlie and Jackie get together in a bedroom that features a retro motorcycle helmet and a cassette boom box which places this movie squarely in the 80s or very early 90s. Awesome detail! Ana has such a great body. Her athletic build is rippled and creased in all the right places, which always makes her look incredibly sexy when she’s fucking. Pay attention to the subtle bounce of her ass as Hands pounds away at her in doggie, she’s barely moving but it’s awesome nonetheless. And then Hands moves into a modified doggie and my goodness what a great visual! I don’t know whose call it was, but I love when performers and directors try new positions and this scene certainly doesn’t disappoint as it also features a variation of lifted missionary that could have gone on forever for my money.

Evelyn/Maxine and the object of her affection, Mr. Drew McClintock, finally get their hands on each other and the wait is definitely worth it. The two share a warm scene that is built nicely through a conversation in which Kenna puts the perfect bow on a great acting performance. Again, it’s her genuine smile and the subtlety of her body language that makes the sex scene with Dice such a treat. The audience can easily see Evelyn embracing Maxine and it builds a warm sexual anticipation for the fun stuff. Once the sex starts, the two are passionate and sensual and the whole thing could honestly come right out of the pages of a romance novel (which is the point). I really loved the setting here as well. The pink chalky brick wall, the aged piano and the soft blanket create an authentic atmosphere that feeds the romantic fantasy. It’s such a nice scene that just puts a smile-inducing crown on the entire story.

Holly Randall’s work for Wicked keeps getting better and better and she has become one of my favorite directors and writers. This is a really cute story in which the highlight by far is the arrival of Kenna James as a character performer. I was so impressed with her ability to bring Evelyn to life in a realistic manner and she should be commended for her performance. In features, strong character work enhances the story, and the story in turn enhances the sex. I recommend this movie to any couple looking to spend a charming sexy night together. I watched this movie on Wicked.com, so I was not able to view any of the special features.