‘Minx’ On Lionsgate Play Review: An Intellectual Porn Comedy That’s Prudish Yet Too Funny

‘Minx’: Cast & Crew

Series Creator: Ellen Rapoport

Cast: Ophelia Lovibond, Michael Angarano, Jessica Lowe, Oscar Montoya, Lennon Parham, Idara Victor, Jake Johnson

Available On: Lionsgate Play

Duration: 10 Episodes, Around 30 Minutes Each

‘Minx’: Story

In the 1970s, a young feminist from Los Angeles joins forces with a low-rent porn publisher to create the first women's erotic magazine. Through this unlikely alliance, the characters discover meaningful relationships in the oddest of places. Will her prudish attitude get in way of the business of the magazine? Will the women’s erotica be a hit with the readers? Will the two be able to break the patriarchal mindsets? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch ‘Minx’.

‘Minx’: Performances

Ophelia Lovibond carries the show on her shoulders. Right from her look to her persona to the way she has grasped the character, she is perfect to the T for the role. The way she squints at frontal nudity and talks prudishly and with a mission to change the world is all expressed through her body language. She was the perfect fit for this role.

Jake Johnson is an able nemesis to Ophelia Lovibond’s character. Jake Johnson manages to showcase the hard realities of the world in the most perfect way. He has brought believability to the character, which makes it more so real. He perfectly breaks down the facts in front of a girl who is blinded by her love for feminism and pays no heed to the business aspect of things. A very mature and realistic portrayal.

Among the supporting cast, Jessica Lowe stands out with her perfect intelligent blonde character. While there are spurts of hilarity in her dialogues, but she totally breaks the stereotype of how a bimbo-looking girl can actually be so intelligent.

The rest of the supporting cast, even though having lesser screen time, have played their parts to perfection.

‘Minx’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

The writing by Ellen Rapoport, Kimberly Nicole Walker, Mason Flink, Julie Mandel-Folly, Annabel Oakes, Ben Karlin and Lara Spotts is the best part about ‘Minx’. With so many writers penning individual episodes, there is not a single moment where the writing lefts off and there seems to be a mismatch in thoughts. It’s properly streamlined to ensure that the element of fun never ceases and yet it doesn’t ever go into the zone of being a crass comedy. Maintaining that balance is a top act by this bunch of people.

The direction by Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Jake Schreier, Max Winkler, Carrie Brownstein, Craig Johnson, Natalia Leite and Stella Meghie is also top-notch. They’ve also directed individual episodes and it's properly seamless. To add to that they’ve managed to bring in that 1970s feel perfect not just with the use of the colours and filters, but also in the mannerisms of the characters. They’ve managed to present a show where frontal nudity has been blended so impeccably and aesthetically with the storyline of the show, that you’re left amazed at the end of it all. They’ve cumulatively ensured that the level of comedy in every shot remains high and at no point does it veer towards being vulgar. A very tight rope to balance on, and perfectly done.

The editing by Julia Wong, Adam Burr, Rebekah Fridman and Tony Orcena is also crisp and to the point. Despite being 10 episodes, there is not a point where you feel getting bored or the tempo is going low. Also, managing to keep all the episodes around the 30-minute mark is also too good. It kept the presentation taut, and exceedingly funny.

Quyen Tran and Jason Oldak’s cinematography brilliantly brings the 1970s to life. The way they have managed to give a high saturation to the shots with the usage of filters is perfect. Also, the indoor shots are so well-lit that not for a moment there is a scene where you can’t understand what’s happening.

If there was one thing in the show that was not cent per cent up to the mark, it was the background score. While the rest of the presentation was trying to create humour in a subtle way, the background score was too typical. There was barely anything that was standing out of the way and looked as if it was trying hard to fit itself into the 1970s.

‘Minx’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Minx’ manages to get a perfect mix of intelligent humour and prudish porn comedy. While there is a bit of frontal nudity, but it goes oh-so-perfectly with the storyline that you’ll be left guffawing your heart out. It also is quite informative about the kind of patriarchal mindset that was present in the 1970s. If you’re too prudish, then this is a definite Must Watch. I am going with 4.5 stars.