Maxine Fowler (Maxi Shield) is having a fling with hunky Hunter (Manuel Kornisiuk), the boyfriend of her best friend Kiki (Jessica Marchi). As the two continue their affair in secret and plot to be together, they are both surprised when Kiki winds up murdered. Believing they can now finally be together, Maxine is left on her own when Hunter disappears. As she tries to locate him, she discovers that her favourite porn star Randy Cole (Jack Stratton-Smith) is also after Hunter. Who killed Kiki and does it have anything to do with Hunter?
‘The Winner Takes It All’ is from film-maker James Demitri and it’s a vehicle for ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ star Maxi Shield. The film leans into Shield’s campy OTT personality as it tries to put her into the middle of a murder mystery, hoping that her fans will come along for the ride. The result is sadly a bit underwhelming, in most part due to a lack of a real story at the centre of the film. Kiki’s murder is immediately undermined by Maxine’s flippant reaction to the news, so there’s no real incentive to root for Maxine to uncover the killer when she herself doesn’t actually care.
Following the murder, the film does a fantastic job of showcasing the body of Manuel Kornisiuk, an OnlyFans star and model, who plays the slippery Hunter but it doesn’t do much else with its setup. Instead Kornisiuk dances around in a small pair of pants, enjoys an extended shower and generally finds a reason to be naked at every opportunity. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not an unpleasant sight (far from it) but gratuitous nudity does not a film make (or at least not the kind of film Demitri has tried to make here).
The acting across the board is pretty poor. Shield never shifts out of her ‘Drag Race’ persona leaving the film lacking any light and shade. Everything is delivered as if it’s a joke and while that’s entertaining for a while, it becomes grating over nearly 80 mins. Kornisiuk may look pretty but he’s not showcased well as an actor here. That’s not totally his fault as his character has the thinnest of material to work with. Faring slightly better is Jack Stratton-Smith as porn star Randy but again, like Kornisiuk, he doesn’t have much of a character to portray.
‘The Winner Takes It All’ could have been a fun, campy whodunit but it hits every expected beat and when it’s stuck for what to do, it just throws in nudity. That unfortunately makes the film not very engaging and despite Shield chewing the scenery at every opportunity, the film never manages to bring out more than the odd giggle. Some viewers may find the guy candy enough to get through the film but I wanted more depth and honestly, just some more story to sink my teeth into. When you get to the end of a murder mystery and you forget the film’s a murder mystery, you know there’s a problem!
Cast: Maxi Shield, Manuel Kornisiuk, Jessica Marchi, Jack Strattion-Smith, Emily Teede Director: James Demitri Writer: James Demitri Certificate: 18 Duration: 78 mins Released by: TLA Releasing Release date: 28th August 2023 Buy ‘The Winner Takes It All’ now
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