Traci I Love You (1987) Review

Traci I Love You DVD/VHS Cover

One of the rabbit holes that I went down in the past few days, trying to set up stuff for this blog was looking into Traci Lords. I already knew her story, but I went deep into all of the different angles, and am not convinced that she was able to fool so many people. But that’s my take on it, and not necessarily the official word, because of course, there’s a lot of better writers that have discussed the topic. What I do know, is that the internet has exploded with all sorts of versions of her work, and depending on your moral compass, you can see her in many features, some of which I may talk about in the near future, as I was able to get a copy of “Those Young Girls”, featuring Ginger Lynn. I love Ginger, she’s been a crush of mine for years, but apparently Traci as Tracy Lords is in it too. I also was able to see a rare clip of Ron Jeremy and Traci Lords, and well, it’s odd to see Ron so skinny, but times change, and we all gain weight, maybe not as much as Ron, though.

For those that don’t know, Traci Lords was able to get out from under the thumb of pornographic cinema by forming her own company, and then producing 3 movies, and selling the rights for a cool 100K. In her book, she claimed that it was the only thing that she could think of to get out from under the oppression of the adult film industry. Well, good for her, that’s cool, right? Depends on what you believe about the situation.

Fast forward to “Traci, I Love You” from 1987, and you’re going to find that this movie is one of the movies that was shot under her company’s moniker. I was able to watch “Traci Takes Tokyo”, which was laughable in the way that it was produced, but had some interesting set pieces. I did not see “Bevery Hills Copulator”, which was released in 1986, but I’m sure I’ll run into it eventually. “Traci, I Love You” was shot on video, and it shows, and as some French film reviewers have noted, it’s perhaps her most boring work. I tend to agree with some of the notions that people have in regard to this one, as there are a lot of moments that make no sense, but then again, it’s a porno, right?

“Traci, I Love You” is shot like a news report at times, mostly documentary style. There is a man obsessed with her, trying to track her down in France. Meanwhile, she is just enjoying the sights, going to the beach, and just hanging out. There’s a lot of camera work doing B-shots, and random things, nothing of which is what you’d expect from a full-length movie. Eventually, Traci’s character is kidnapped, and taken to an undisclosed location, where she meets some lovely women, and begins the sexual romp that you would expect from dirty movies. The performances are uninspired, honestly, and you can see Traci looking at the camera, and taking direction to be more “into it” at times. At least from some of the scenes, until the end.

DVD Edition From France, I Think

The movie stars Alban Ceray, Marilyn Jess, Alain L’Yle, Traci Lords, and Gabriel Pontello. However, there are other people in non-sexual roles, and much more. Either way, this was her swan song, and it’s fascinating that the final shot involves her taking off her panties, opening her legs, and showing off for one last time. There is a blooper reel at the end, shifting to a light hearted, albeit hardcore film with an interesting premise, albeit still hardcore in many ways. Lovers of all natural, no shaving, classic adult movies will feel like they have traveled back in time, because this is NOT new school in any sense of the word.

The final sequences in this film has Traci nearly tied to a bed, and she screams, goes nuts, and makes you wonder if she’s just giving it all because it’s her final performance, or if she’s really enjoying the process of filming. Going back to the beginning, however, I do like how she bends over, in high heels, on a rug and takes her man standing up. She scoots her legs out, pushing her 5’8” frame all the way down, and allows her lover to enjoy every thrust, while she seems to be more concentrated on not falling over. It’s a unique visual, but one that doesn’t bode well for her, as she doesn’t seem to be enjoying it at various moments, or at least that’s how it comes across on film.

From what I understand, Caballero was able to distribute the movie on VHS and early DVD versions are popping up here and there, but that was all done in 1998. Traci got mad at Amazon for selling her movies, and magazines, but if you look closely, it’s not Amazon, but rather individual sellers.

“Traci, I Love You” is an interesting final movie in a way. There are moments that are hot, no doubt, especially if you want to see Traci (legally) take on multiple cocks, a dildo, and eventually get a nice load on the small of her back. She seems into it at times, and at others it looks very “business” heavy. It was only turned on a few times, and it was mainly when she appeared to be more focused on her partners than the camera, or anything else. Perhaps that’s telling, as this is legal, and the end of her career. I don’t know.

Overall, “Traci, I Love You” has grainy VHS transfer all over it. The sound is mono at best, the lighting is dark at times, ultrabright at times, and the camera work leaves a lot to be desired. However, unlike “Traci Takes Tokyo”, there’s no body doubles, and there is just straight forward sex scenes that are obviously not reshot, and just straight through. Two days in France really did a lot to help Lords cement her legacy, as this was it folks.  It’s serviceable if you’re a fan or a collector, but honestly, I wouldn’t watch it too often. Unless you’re really into Traci. This is LEGAL, by the way, so you can own it no problem getting it. It was made after Traci Lords turned 18, and it was NOT included in any of the mandated removals, or deletions which were part of a larger rabbit hole that I'm not going to write about at length. But you can read some of it here.

I give “Traci, I Love You” a 3 out of 5. 

You can purchase “Traci, I Love You” on DVD now, by clicking here.

Did you see “Traci, I Love You”? If so, drop me a comment, or don’t, I don’t care. I’m moving on to another review soon.