It's hard to tell if this erotic thriller is a deliberate tongue-in-cheek parody, or just falls into 'so bad it's good' territory. The dialogue and stilted performances give this the feel of a soft-core porn film, whilst the plot ends up piling so many twists and double-crosses on top of each other that it rapidly becomes ludicrous. And yet, it's so bonkers I just had to watch to the end. Impossible to take seriously, but it has a certain campy charm.
This film sends up lots of conventions like the American high school film, court room drama, determined cops don't give up, erotic thriller etc, and is centred around shenanigans in a Florida coastal town inhabited by rich white trash and poor white trash. At times it's very funny indeed, either through one liners and sight gags, or more sustained pleasures like Bill Murray's ultra relaxed defence lawyer and Teresa Russell as a selfish mother. Neve Campbell is somewhat wasted in her part as a school student at the lower end of the social scale, and the leading man is a little anonymous. Denise Richards is, well, Denise Richards, and she dominates the whole film. Despite that, the 18 certificate is probably a bit unnecessary.