One of the primary responsibilities of any adult video critic is to steer people towards the best porn available. The difficulty in this task is trying to figure out what the audience considers “good” porn. Everyone has their own taste and is looking for something different from a XXX movie. Figuring out what direction to point someone in becomes even more difficult when the question comes from a couple. In over eight years of reviewing adult movies, the most frequently asked question is a variation of the following.
“I want to watch adult movies with my girlfriend/wife. She is new to porn. What would you recommend?”
Every porn critic has a list of movies ready for just such a question, but it is actually a little more complex. To really come up with a list of recommendations for porn-seeking couples, we have to find out what the couple in question is looking for in their smut. To limit “couples porn” to any one genre or style would be a huge mistake. There are too many kinds of adult entertainment to pigeon-hole just one as good for couples. Below is a list of different types of porn that tend to be more couples friendly. To pick the best movies for you, find out which style matches your desires.
Women in Charge– Traditionally, when one talks about couples friendly porn, they begin with movies directed by women. Feeling that porn lacked a woman’s point of view, Candida Royale began making movies for her own company, Femme, back in the mid-eighties. These movies focused on romantic stories, fewer penetration shots and a softer look to the sex. While porn is still a man’s game, some female directors have followed in Candida’s footsteps. Former performer Veronica Hart is one of VCA’s top directors, taking home numerous awards for her feature work. Her movies are heavy on plot with a softer, cable-friendly look at sex. Hart is respected by female performers and was selected to direct both “Torn” & “Still Insatiable”, the comeback ventures of porn legends Ginger Lynn & Marilyn Chambers respectively.
Art House Porn– Not every couple is looking for plot-heavy porn. Some couples find beautifully shot scenes that focus on the beauty of the female form to be more pleasing. This genre often features movies that look like X-rated music videos with crisp editing, soft focus and little or no dialog. The undisputed leader of the pack for this kind of movie is Andrew Blake. In the late 80’s Blake’s early work on such films as “Night Trips” & “House of Dreams” instantly placed him at the top of his craft. Over the years, Blake has perfected the art of the soft & fuzzy movie. The primary limit to Blake’s work is that he generally shoots lesbian scenes. So if girl on girl sex scares your lady off, you’ll want to stay away from this genre.
Plot Heavy Porn– this is perhaps the most common type of couples porn on the market, though it seems to be slipping a bit. In the old days, virtually every XXX movie had a plot of some sort. The advent of gonzo and wall to wall porn made even rudimentary scripts totally unnecessary. Now that the no-nonsense videos dominate the raincoat market, most adult features end up filling the cable programming void. Big companies like Vivid, Wicked, VCA and Adam & Eve release dozens of plotted features each month. If it’s a story and softer sex that you’re looking for, Vivid’s Paul Thomas (Bad Wives, Roommates), Digital Playground’s Nic Andrews (Rush, Devon Stripped) and Wicked’s Brad Armstrong (Flashpoint, Falling From Grace) lead the way.
Comedy– Sometimes a good laugh is a great way to get in the mood. Some people consider almost any acting in porn laughable, but making a movie intentionally funny is harder than it looks. The current king of comedy porn is Wicked’s Jonathan Morgan. His “Double Feature” is one of the most decorated adult features of all time and is bound to bring a smile to your face. The sequel “Bride of Double Feature” is just as funny and well worth a look.
Gonzo– Gonzo style porn is not usually associated with the couples market, but as the market changes, new genres pop up. “Shane’s World” is perhaps the leading producer of Gen X couples porn. The basic formula for these movies is to take a group of porn stars away for a weekend and have them hang out. In between the sex scenes, we see them drink, go out on the town and have a good time. The sex is usually a little harder than typically couples friendly movies, but the reality TV feel has made “Shane’s World” movies favorites among young, adventurous couples.
No matter what type of porn works for you, it’s clear that couples looking for quality adult material have more choices now than ever. From full blown sex comedies to dialog-free artistic lesbian flicks, couples porn is everywhere. So to the men out there asking what they should get for their ladies I say this. Pick a few titles from the categories above and see what kind of movies works best. With so many choices out there, it might take a while to find the right one, but at least you can have fun making your selections.
