By David Kettle
Sex and the City legend Kim Cattrall made a surprise trip to Edinburgh for the second showing of her new film, Meet Monica Velour, in the Edinburgh International Film Festival on Friday 24 June, both introducing the film and answering questions after the screening. Her presence only added to the excitement surrounding the film, which played to a packed Filmhouse.
It’s an oddball but heartwarming tale of a 17-year-old geek’s obsession with a faded 1970s porn actress, played by Cattrall, and his journey halfway across American to meet her. Far from disappointment at the 50+ figure he finally locates in a sleazy strip club, his feelings remain undiminished and the pair form an unlikely friendship. Despite the seedy setting, though, there’s a naive charm to the film that pokes gentle fun at a more innocent age of suggestiveness and titillation.
Answering an audience question about whether the film actually sanitised the sex industry, Cattrall said she thought the toll of years as sex worker were evident in her character Monica’s world-weariness and cynicism – although she admitted to enjoying having to put on 20 pounds in weight for the role. And yes, it’s a very different Cattrall we see here from her glitzy Sex and the City persona, but it’s testament to her versatility as an actress that she’s able to pull off being downtrodden and hopeless without it becoming mawkish or sentimental.
Newcomer Dustin Ingram delivers a persuasive performance as the nerdy Tobe, seemingly always with a twinkle of mischief in his eye, yet sincere in his hopes for a better life for Monica.
It’s exactly the kind of comic yet thoughtful US indie movie that should do well on this side of the Atlantic, so it was a shock to hear Cattrall admit that the film hadn’t found a UK distributor, so would only be available on DVD here. There’s one last screening as part of the EIFF, so catch it on a big screen while you can.
Meet Monica Velour; USA 2010; 98min
Filmhouse, Edinburgh – Sun 26 June at 20:45
