Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
For a book project, photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders took photographs of 30 stars of adult movies, each pair of photographs in the same pose, clothed and nude. This film records the photo shoots and includes interviews with the performers and commentary from eight writers (and John Waters). The actors and writers discuss economics, nudity and exhibitionism, careers, and private lives.
Thinking XXX is a competent documentary built around a genuinely interesting artistic conceit — the clothed/nude diptych portraits by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders — but it never fully transcends its format. The interviews with performers offer candid and occasionally insightful glimpses into the adult industry, giving the film some above-average substance in terms of voices and perspectives. The cinematography is workmanlike but benefits from the visual elegance of the photo shoots themselves. The concept is distinctive enough to lift Novelty above average, though the talking-heads structure keeps it from feeling truly singular. The film lacks a strong narrative arc or satisfying conclusion, resulting in a weak ending that simply trails off. Overall it sits near its middling reputation.