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'Viva'

Rating: (1 STAR)

May 1, 2008

The sexploitation films of the 1960s and '70s are always ripe for satire, and filmmaker-actress Anna Biller takes her shot with "Viva," the story of a bored housewife who joins the sexual revolution by becoming a prostitute.

Biller, who also designed the sets and costumes, nearly deserves an Oscar for her astounding attention to detail - dig that Frank Stella-style wallpaper! - but intentionally or not she also re-creates the amateur direction and leaden pacing of a subpar drive-in skin flick.

"Viva" was probably great fun to make - Jared Sanford, playing the hubba-hubba husband next door, looks like he's having a blast - but it's less fun to watch. It also proves an already well-proven rule: You can't create camp on purpose. "Viva" isn't nearly as erotic, funny or imaginative as the movies it's trying to skewer.

VIVA (unrated). 2:00 (nudity, adult themes). At Cinema Village, Manhattan.