Review ~ Hollywood Dirt the Movie by Passionflix based on the novel by Alessandra Torre

Movie Description:

Cole Masten. Abandoned by his superstar wife, Hollywood’s Perfect Husband is now Hollywood’s Sexiest Bachelor: partying hard and screwing even harder. Summer Jenkins. That’s me, a small town girl stuck in Quincy, Georgia. I cook some mean chicken and dumplins, can bluff a grown man out of his savings in poker, and was voted Most Friendly my senior year. We were from different worlds. Our lives shouldn’t have collided. But then Cole Masten read a book about my small town. And six months later, his jet landed on our dusty airstrip, and he brought Hollywood with him. From the start, I knew he was trouble. For our town. And for me. Sometimes, opposites just aren’t meant to attract.

Link to Passionflix:

https://www.passionflix.com/home

Buy the Book:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2hy1b8A

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2wS596C

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

In 2015, I read 371 books and at the top of that enormous pile was Hollywood Dirt, my favourite read of the year. You can read my review here: http://www.theromancecover.com/2015/09/release-day-blitz-excerpt-review.html From the first to last page this book captivated me and I took these two characters into my heart and soul, so you can imagine my excitement when I found out it was being made into a movie (cue fangirling).

I will admit, being in the UK and not yet getting the full benefit of Passionflix, and the fact that I was reticent to watch because of just how much I loved this book, I didn’t sign up when this venture was first launched. However, the curiosity was just TOO MUCH and when Alessandra Torre announced the film was live I found myself signing up and watching immediately…two hours later, I had a smile from ear to ear and was frantically telling everyone to watch it.

I must start by saying that Emma Rigby was the star of this film. I had no idea at first that she was British and even though I am not American, I have a few “Southern” friends and I felt that she nailed the accent. Even though she looked familiar it still didn’t dawn on me that this was an actress I had seen on a UK soap called Hollyoaks, I just thought that maybe I had seen her on the cheesy Hallmark films that I also watch when I’m in bed. Emma Rigby brought Summer to life with fire, sass and perfection. Summer was one of the few heroines that I have loved with a passion and Emma Rigby nailed her personality, her quirks, her wit, her passions and her insecurities.

Johann Urb was not who I had personally pictured playing Cole Masten, however, once again he brought to life this character who had burrowed himself deep into my heart. I think that due to time constraints the film never really projected just how hard this man falls when he loves. He loves hard and with everything he has and this side of his character I felt wasn’t portrayed as well as the book. However, what was captured perfectly was this quote from my review of the book… “Take Hollywood out of the heart throb and you get a gorgeous man on the inside and out. Cole Masten will have you eating out his hands in no time.”

The chemistry between the on-screen characters was perfection, their interactions were believable, tugged at every heart string and will have every viewer championing them along. The sex scenes were extremely hot, tasteful and conveyed with gusto just how hot and passionate these two were within a mile radius of each other. That push and pull, that love/hate all came to life and I adored every scene that these two shot together.

I felt that the scene setting was perfect and small- town Quincy came to life before my eyes along with the small-minded inhabitants. With very few side characters this film needed those one liners that perfectly captured what small town living was all about and how politics and social standings are the be all and the end all.

I adored the casting for Brad de Luca but will be honest and say that the casting for Ben was extremely off. The friendship between Summer and Ben was what initially drove the book and I felt that their dynamic on screen was not a true reflection, it felt forced and not as organic as the original characters.

Yes, as with any movie adaptation there is artistic licence and certain scenes that I loved never made the big screen. I understood, time constraints and everything, yet despite them missing I felt that the whole dynamic, flow and feel of the book was perfectly captured. Cocky, yes, our chicken played a huge part in the original book and this was trimmed down in the film. I know a cockerel is no Oscar winner in the making but I wish he had a little more time on the big screen.

Overall, this is one of my favourite book to screen adaptations. Given that this wasn’t a Hollywood blockbuster with a huge budget I felt that Passionflix did amazingly well and stayed true to the original. While it wasn’t perfect, I have already watched it twice and it made me re-read the book. This will be one of my feel-good films and one I will be watching again and again.