Heart Strings aka “Lust On The Prairie”

This movie, titled LUST ON THE PRAIRIE has been airing late-nights on Showtime a few times in recent months. I happened to see it advertised on my TV schedule, and it said it was starring Michael Vegas and India Summer, both of whom are known hardcore porn stars, but I just assumed it was a regular softcore film, as several porn stars have been known to also star in softcore features. I was unable to watch it the first time because it was coming on too late and I had to go to sleep for work the next morning (& I don’t have a DVR). The next time I saw it come on when I was awake there was something else I wanted to watch that night, so I had to skip most of it, and was only able to catch the final scene of the movie. After that I decided to look it up online and see if maybe it was available on DVD, and even if it wasn’t I would get some more information about it so I’d be ready to review it the next time it was on.

Well, it turns this was originally shot and released as a hardcore porn film, under the name HEART STRINGS, as part of Wicked Pictures’ “Passions” line, launched in October 2010, with films aimed at couples and women: The new product explores “romantic situations and genuine feelings between attractive female and male leads with palpable chemistry, and delivers deeper layers of intimacy and emotional connection.” READ MORE 

So this film, which was originally made in 2011, was edited to remove explicit penetration scenes, and released (at least on cable) as a softcore film, which is an interesting idea. I remember there was The Spice Channel back in the 1990’s which used to broadcast edited porn films (and I used to watch it all the time). I don’t know if Wicked has done the same for any of their other Passions films, or if this is the first.

Written and directed by Stormy Daniels, a gorgeous woman who has appeared in hardcore films herself, as well as in softcore films such as Witches of Breastwick, this films centers around the life of Tommy Tucker (Michael Vegas), a rising Country music star. As the film opens he’s just won the Country Music Award for Artist of The Year. India Summer plays Tommy’s manager Lisa, whom he is also sleeping with. After the show, Tommy tells Lisa that he wants to take some time off, he’s been on the road the past year and needs a break, but Lisa insists that he needs to keep touring to keep his career going while he’s hot. They have an argument, in which Tommy realizes only cares about the money he earns and not about him personally, and he takes off in his pickup truck, not telling Lisa or any of his band members where he’s going.

Out on a road in the countryside, Tommy’s truck breaks down. He’s soon met by a young woman named Claire (Gracie Glam), who takes him back to the ranch that she owns with her sister Emma (Brooklyn Lee). Claire’s boyfriend Robbie (Rocco Reed) says he can fix Tommy’s truck, but it’s going to take a few days for him to order and receive a part that he needs. In the meantime, Claire and Emma offer to let Tommy stay at their ranch, and he does some work for them in return. Over the course of the rest of the film, Tommy gets into the life of working as a ranch hand, and sparks fly between him and Emma, but she’s hesitant after first because she had just recently been dumped by her ex-boyfriend and doesn’t want to risk getting hurt again. Tommy is also a bit hesitant because he hasn’t told her or the others who he is or what he does, they think he’s just some random man, and doesn’t know how she’ll react when she finds out the truth. Meanwhile, back at home, Lisa is under pressure from Tommy’s record label to find him and get him back in time for a major concert, and when she finally tracks Tommy down at the ranch just as he and Emma are about to give into their passion. . .well, I won’t spoil the rest, you’ll have to see it for yourself.

This is a good movie, with a decent story-line. The only real flaw would be the fact that if Tommy is so popular as a Country star, it doesn’t make sense that no one at the ranch recognizes him. It’s even worse because Claire and Robbie are seen watching the Country Music Awards where Tommy won. So they should know him. Otherwise it’s still good. I can see how this would still work even with the explicit sex scenes cut-out. All of the cast are good actors, especially Michael Vega, who almost single-handily carries this film on his shoulders, but Brooklyn Lee also does a good job in her role, convincingly playing a shy country girl, despite the fact that she looks like she just stepped out of a Playboy centerfold. Likewise with the rest of the main cast, which also includes Bill Bailey and Carolyn Reese as Tommy’s brother Kyle and Kyle’s wife Julie. And it’s a bigger budget than your typical porn films, it’s filmed at an actual ranch, not a movie set, we even get to see some characters riding horses. And there are several actual musical performances, or “Tommy” in concert singing original songs (credited to Jim McGraw and Brendon Miller). I don’t think Michael Vegas actually sings them, but he does a convincing job pretending to do.

As for the actual sex scenes, there are just 4 of them in the film, all b/g. One between Vegas and Summer, one between Glam and Reed, one between Bailey and Reese, and of course one between Vegas and Lee (there’s also a half-scene that’s just consists of oral sex). Keeping in line with the “for couples” stipulation of Wicked Passions, each scene is shot very romantically, the sex is slow and tender, with lots of foreplay and kissing involved. And all of the cumshots are done on the women’s stomach or ass, no facials. And it’s important to note that each scene uses common, which Daniels (who proves herself to be just as effective behind the camera as she is in front of it) is very good minimizing the close-ups, but I still have to deduct a point for that because, let’s face, most of us hate condoms in porn movies (although it’s essential in real life).

The DVD also contains two bonus sex scenes. One cut from this movie between Brooklyn Lee and Seth Gamble, who plays the boyfriend who dumps her. It’s a good scene, and I don’t know why it was cut from the actual film, especially since it’s on the DVD anyway. And the 2nd bonus scene is between Karina O’Reilley and Bill Bailey from another Wicked Passions film called Getting Away From it All, directed by Skye Blue. Altogether, this is a great product, well worth watching.

Chacebook rating: FOUR STARS

Check your local cable/satellite TV listings for Lust on The Prairie, or buy the DVD of Heart Strings.