Will Livvy's fans still honestly love her?
You can almost hear Mr. and Mrs. Middle America gasp in shocked disbelief Olivia Newton-John doesn’t just get physical on her “Soul Kiss” video (MCA Home Video, $19.95), she gets absolutely naughty.
Could this really be the Australian white-bread wonder decked out in skimpy red lingerie and slithering over rumpled bed linens in the clip’s title track?
And who would think that the dewy innocent of “Grease” would ever sing a song like “Culture Shock,” tarted up in her best Pat Benatar hand-me-downs and warbling the merits of a menage à trois?
While one can’t begrudge a performer for trying to break away from an old, possibly outdated image, the selling of Miss Newton-John as a steamy temptress in this five-song home cassette provides more than its intended share of camp laughter.
Director David Mallet can’t seem to restrain himself to being merely sensual unless you call the bikini-clad hunks and shooting jets of steam subtle touches. And even as a tune like “Toughen Up” strives for a light comic touch, the sight of the once-lively Livvy in black boots and wielding a riding crop makes her more a hoot than a hot number.
Sorry, Olivia, but even high-cost, low-cut wardrobes and Helmut Newton photography can’t turn a songbird into a sex kitten overnight.
“Soul Kiss” may get Washington wife Tip-per Gore hot under the collar, but for the rest of us, this video is all fizzle and no sizzle.
By Marianne Meyer
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