Elliot Slater is a young, attractive, Australian professional photographer living in Southern California. Having always been uncomfortable with his sexual proclivities, which tend toward the BDSM realm, he signs up for a dominatrix-themed vacation on a private tropical island known as "Eden" in the hopes of working through his discomfort. Unbeknownst to him, before embarking on his journey of sexual discovery, he has unwittingly photographed an international jewel thief of whom no other photos exist. The jewel thief Omar and his criminal partner Nina are intent on recovering the film in order to retain Omar's anonymity. They follow the photographer to the island resort run by the dominatrix, Mistress Lisa Emerson, posing as vacationers. Following a tip that Omar is on the island, undercover police officers Fred Lavery and Sheila Kingston also arrive, Sheila in the guise of a vacationer and Fred as a handyman. When a submissive asks Sheila what he can do to please her, she tells him to go paint her house. Comedic antics ensue amid the activities of scantily clad guests and employees, acting out their dominant and submissive fantasies. In the course of Elliot's experiences as Mistress Lisa's personal submissive, including a scene where she ties him up and fondles his naked body, the two begin to fall in love. The action comes to a climax on a quick trip to New Orleans, where Lisa reluctantly admits her feelings for Elliot, all the while tailed by Omar, who attempts to kill them. Fred and Sheila save the day, sending Omar and Nina to jail, and receive commendations for solving the case. Elliot returns to Eden and proposes to Lisa, who says yes. Also, the submissive who spoke to Sheila makes good on her request: he has her house painted.
Cast
Dana Delany as Lisa Emerson
Paul Mercurio as Elliott Slater
Rosie O'Donnell as Sheila Kingston
Dan Aykroyd as Fred Lavery
Hector Elizondo as Dr. Martin Helifax; credited "As usual Hector Elizondo".
The whips used and shown in detail were created by Janette Heartwood. This was the last film produced by Edward K. Milkis before his death in 1996.
Reception
The film garnered attention during its release because of the BDSM themes, full frontalfemale nudity, and because of the high profiles of the director, cast members, and the author. Promotional materials for the film included photos of Delany in dominatrix attire. It was generally panned by critics, who expressed disappointment and confusion about the combination of the original story and the comedic elements. The film maintains a 6% "rotten" rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews, with an average score of 2.29/10. Roger Ebert gave the film star out of four possible stars. One controversy occurred when it was initially banned by the Saskatchewan Film and Video Classification Board. Critics were puzzled by the banning, as Saskatchewan was the only jurisdiction known to have kept the film out of theaters. After a brief media flurry, the Board lifted the ban a week later.
