Just the Tip is a 2023 film from studio Wicked and director Eddie Nova.
The film follows a similar formula from other recent Wicked productions I've reviewed, which is not a good thing. It begins with clips from the film, which is a trend I'm definitely not a fan of, especially when they give away spoilers (although those spoilers are relatively minor in this case). Not only that, but the audio levels are all over the place. I hoped that maybe it was only an issue with the intro but, no, it's a problem throughout the film. It's indicative of general poor quality in this flick, from inconsistent lighting to continuity errors.
The story begins with Luke (Seth Gamble) picking up a homeless Donna (Chantal Danielle) off the street. They immediately get to fucking but, five months later, Donna is still crashing with Luke, which makes him really mad for some reason. Honestly, both Luke and Donna are really unpleasant people and I just want to fast-forward to the next scene whenever I see them.
Most of the film takes place at Carl's Famous Burgers. Carl (Jack Vegas) runs it with the help of his daughter Zoe (Mina Luxx) and his fiancée Olivia (Melissa Stratton). Zoe (who is pursuing an acting career) is super cute, but gets upset when Luke and Donna enter the restaurant. It turns out that Zoe and Luke used to be in a relationship. A news report comes in on the TV about a UFO landing.
That's when an oddly dressed couple enter. The woman (Queenie Sateen) introduces them as spellbinders. The man (Robby Echo) appears to be called Danny Wonderful. Queenie does a magnificent job of acting mysterious; Robby is more comical than anything, although the magic tricks he performs are rather entertaining.
The spellbinders begin to work their magic on the restaurant's staff and guests. Will Luke stay with Donna stay together, or will he leave her for Zoe? Will Zoe get the Hollywood career she craves? Will Carl manage to get some action with Olivia? With the spellbinders' help, they all face their troubles.
The film is shot from multiple perspectives, and so you travel back and forth in time. Unfortunately, it's not clear when time jumps, and you get scenes that repeat multiple times. It's confusing, repetitive and annoying.
What's also repetitive and annoying is some of the background music. I'm accustomed to background music gently fading out when the sex begins. But in this video, the music just gets a bit quieter, and plays on a loop throughout the scene. It would be fine if there were some variety in the music, but hearing the same beats play over and over again gets incredibly irritating.
There are many great films in Wicked's long history, but all their recent films have been disappointing. Maybe I should just avoid them in future. It's a shame because this film has some good performances from Queenie Sateen and Mina Luxx, but overall it's not a good film. Also, what does "just the tip" even mean? It's never referenced in the film's dialogue leaving its title a complete mystery. Bizarre…
★★☆☆☆ 2/5