Discovering Dillon
"Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" certainly has a suggestive title, yet ironically it is also a very misleading title. Despite various scenes of scantily clad women dancing this isn't some erotic movie or "Showgirls" style drama but a drama about a repressed young woman who has enough of her parents telling her what to do and ends up becoming a Go-Go dancer to fund her new life from their control. As such there are two things which go on; whilst we get to see how the money changes the young woman we also have a snapshot of those who have become caught in the trap of getting hooked on dancing and the money.
Jane McCoy (Chelsea Hobbs) has grown tired of being told what to do by her respectable parents who are disapproving of her decision to drop out of law school to take acting lessons and refuse to support her financially. It leads to Jane meeting Angela (Sarah Carter) a Go-Go dancer who persuades Jane to give dancing a go as a way to pay for her education. Before long Jane is gripped by her new life and on stage ego Dillon, enjoying the money she is making whilst also enjoying the sense of power she has gained not only over men but by breaking away from her parents. But Jane soon sees the other side of life as Angela's life spirals out of control and struggles to balance out her studies and dancing.
I tell you what "Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" was a much better movie that I expected because to be honest I half expected a weak TV version of "Showgirls". Instead we got this entertaining drama which not only makes you think about those who end up becoming Go-Go dancers but also a drama about a repressed young woman who takes up Go-Go dancing to escape her parents. The two work perfectly in harmony because whilst you could say Jane's journey as she gets deeper and deeper into the world of dancing to the detriment of her studies is a cliche the glimpse of the life of a Go-Go dancer works well. On one hand you have Angela desperately trying to make money and live a lavish lifestyle by doing anything whilst on the other there is Donna who wanted to be an actress but 13 years later is a mother and still Go-Go dancing having made it her life and tries to warn Jane of the pitfalls.
The thing is that whilst there is some sexy dancing "Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" actually makes you think. It makes you think about Jane and how becoming a Go-Go dancer is an act of rebellion, striking out on her own and away from the repression of her condescending parents. And it also makes you think about those who manage to make dancing a career, not some sordid secret but part of who they are and are unashamed of it. It is why "Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" is a bit surprising because it is different to what the title immediately suggests.
Now we are talking a TV movie and there are certain things about "Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" which don't work, some of the acting borders on the excruciating and the ending whilst establishing Jane's journey is a bit corny. But then there are some things which surprisingly work and the acting especially from Sarah Carter as Angela is pretty good.
What this all boils down to is that "Confessions of a Go-Go Girl" was a bit of a pleasant surprise as it is a far cleverer drama than the title suggests. It's not perfect, far from it but if you watch this with expectations of a lot of erotic dancing you are going to be shocked by the surprisingly insightful drama which greets you.
