July 14, 2014
Girltrash: All Night Long
Winnie McCroy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Based on Angela Robinson's successful web series, "Girltrash: All Night Long," sponsored by Showtime, this musical comedy follows five girls during an epic night of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
The feature stars Lisa Rieffel, Michelle Lombardo, Gabrielle Christian and Mandy Musgrave ("South of Nowhere"), Rose Rollins, Kate French, Clementine Ford, Malaya Rivera Drew ("The L Word"), Megan Cavanagh, Kelly Odgen, Jessica Chaffin, Erin Kelly, Heather Thomas, Mike O'Connell, Killola. It features a cameo song appearance by the Dollyrots.
The film was directed by Robinson's wife, first time feature director Alex Kondracke, with executive production by POWER UP founder Stacy Codikow ("D.E.B.S.", "Itty Bitty Titty Committee"), produced by Lisa Thrasher and Angela Robinson ("The L Word," "True Blood," "Hung").
The film begins with leather-jacket clad Daisy (Lisa Reiffel) busting in on bandmate Tyler (Michelle Lombardo) and her fling, to announce that their band Alotta Flame has landed the 1 a.m. slot in that evening's Bandslam event. But before they get there, Daisy must take her younger sister Colby to a gay bar to meet an actress she likes.
"Finally I get to be me and tonight I'm going for the girl," sings Colby, a pretty, blonde sorority girl who is one day from graduation, and sick of pretending to be someone she's not.
After the actress shoots Colby down, handsome Tyler reels Misty and her friend Sid in by inviting them to a fictitious party where she promises Angelina Jolie's casting agent will scoop them up. Unknown to her, Sid is Tyler's longtime fantasy crush.
Meanwhile, Orange County's reigning Sudoko champ Monique Jones (Rose Rollins) has just gotten out of lockup and is searching for Tyler, whom she believes owes her money. She'll give her the dough, or get a 9-iron to the head.
And one more kink in the mix: Daisy's ex Xan, who conveniently appears wherever they go to throw this confident rocker into a tailspin. In one scene, Daisy (by far the best singer) croons a sad anti-love song, "When you close my eyes do you still see my face?" A satisfying catfight follows, and bouncers throw the whole crew into the street, where Monique awaits.
What happens next is a journey you'll want to go on yourself, but suffice it to say, the trip is an interesting one, if somewhat predictable at times. The lesbians are very L.A. and femme, with the Tyler the butchest of the crew, in a very "Shane from 'The L Word' " way.
Unlike musicals where long stretches of dialogue move toward song and dance numbers, "Girltrash" blends theme songs that are not necessarily expository into scenes at will. This doesn't always make temporal sense, as in the scene when all the girls sing, "by 2 a.m. I hope I'm naked with her." But this isn't necessarily bad. It functions instead like the traditional Greek chorus in ancient dramas, breaking the fourth wall and letting the audience know what's going on.
The film is a lighthearted romp about love, fantasy and reality, with likeable characters. It's certainly one worth the hour and a half you'll invest in it. So gather your girlfriends together, pour a few drinks and get Girltrashed.
Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women's news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.