"Exit to Eden" is an interesting movie. It seemingly delves into sado-masochistic (sexual) relationships, albeit in a comical way, but ends up coming off as a sappy love story in the end. The main reason for this is that the chief dominatrix, Lisa Emerson (Dana Delaney), is too soft herself, falling in love with our hero, Elliot Slater (Paul Mercurio). At first when I looked at the exposure of flesh, I thought it was going to end up being a farce, but Rosie O' Donnell saves the day (as she did in The Flintstones) along with Dan Aykroyd.

The plot is as follows: Emerson runs a kinky carnival in an island named Eden, designed to help people fulfil their wildest sexual fantasies. Slater is one such person, with such a, shall we say quite literally, spanking fantasy. Slater is also a photographer with the only picture of Omar (Stuart Wilson II), a drug smuggler who has never been photographed since third grade. So Omar, and his psychotic accomplice, are after Slater. Sheila Kingson (O'Donnell) and Fred Lavery (Aykrod) are after Omar. They all end up in a S&M orgy. You can guess the rest. The interesting part is that it has Enigma's Sadeness Part 2 (or whatever it's called) to this one scene, which I thought fit the mood very well. Also Ministry's Jesus Built my Hotrod works well for a rollerblading race.

The movie might actually have turned out better if its makers had delved into S&M and bondage, or what is implied as deviant sexual behaviour, into greater detail, perhaps from a psychoanalytic perspective. As it stands, I don't think the fantasies seen in the movie are any different from what every other person in this world has. It is pretty funny at times and perhaps you could rent it someday. But don't waste your money on it on the big screen. (From www.ram.org)

 

Editorial Reviews

 

Amazon.com:
Garry Marshall, the man behind Pretty Woman, has made two movies here. One is based on Anne Rice's erotic novel of a fantasy island where dreams are fulfilled and sexuality is open to all, led by a congenial dominatrix (Dana Delany) and a glowing new recruit (Paul Mercurio of Strictly Ballroom). The other is a farcical comedy-action movie, which is what you saw in the ads. Savoy Pictures must have been unsure of to how to market the movie, and they pushed the secondary action of pop songs, needless narration, and even a few noticeable dubs. Amazingly, though, the film works by the end as a guilty pleasure, thanks to the four principals. Delany finally ripples on the big screen, Rosie O'Donnell has her first confident work since A League of Their Own, Dan Aykroyd becomes a comic mainstay, and best of all is Mercurio. The brooding stud is a delight, and is sure to launch a million fans as the loverboy who finds a sweet love story. Agreeable stuff if you really want Rice's erotic novels turned into cute TV-ish comedies. With, as always, Hector Elizondo. --Doug Thomas

IMDB:
Elliot is going to the island of Eden to live out his submissive fantasies, but inadvertently photographs diamond smugglers at work. Smugglers, and detectives, follow him to the island, where they try to retrieve the film. Elliot begins falling in love with Lisa, the head mistress of the island, and Lisa must evaluate her feelings about Elliot and her own motivations. Summary written by Ed Sutton

Troubled by his own repressed sexuality, Elliot embarks on a trip to an island of libertinage and sexual release, not realising he has become the target for a criminal's vendetta. Two cops are close behind, and have to go deep undercover to discover what's going on amongst the submission and bondage - and Elliot's growing love for Mistress Lisa. Summary written by David Carroll