'Mommy XXX' Debuts With A Deeper Look At Porn Star Life

(Ed. Note: Announced back in May, Crackle’s new reality series Mommy XXX premieres today. Our reviewer Jonathan Hludzinski got an early look at the season for this review.)

Although Mommy XXX is a bit of a misnomer, this behind the scenes look into the upper-middle class home of porn star Demi Dalia, created by Steve Slome and John Ferrie, is at times fascinating, titillating and disturbing. As good as any of the current lifestyles of quasi-celebs reality fare on TV today, this actually quietly provides a deeper and perhaps darker look into a life you’ll probably never have.

The music and graphics and fluid camerawork will have you pleasantly smiling throughout, perhaps even thinking, ‘well, gee, that’s not so bad’. But the few moments with Demi’s son, Chris, might sway your opinion. We don’t get much of him but when we do he’s not so keen on his mother’s breast implant surgery in episode one, or her birthday party which includes her porn star friends in ep three and in ep two, though he doesn’t talk specifically about the scene she’s shooting with ex-husband and legend Randy Spears, he does mention that he hates porn stars.

It bums me out a little bit because the poor kid can’t escape it, but the amazing thing is: he loves her. He says so in empathy of her surgery and what she has to go through. And then with sister Brandy he paints her a welcome home sign, which is kind of sweet. So Demi must be doing something right. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see much of it.

The show, which brands itself as the suburban lifestyle of a porn star mom, spends the majority of the time in its first three episodes giving us very small glimpses into her family life while spending more time on her professional lifestyle. On one hand I have a strong desire to see more of the family life, but then again the show might not be so pleasant if more of her son’s vitriol were unleashed in a less controlled environment (his comments are made interview style). We do get to meet ex-husband Spears and there is a lot of time spent hanging around the house, so it’s not all business, but I have yet to see any family dinners or mom and child heart-to-hearts – I’m assuming (hoping) they happen.

As for Demi’s professional and social life, episode two, which has her shooting a scene for her upcoming website with Spears is the deepest and most interesting of the bunch. To see these two, albeit briefly, talk to the camera about having sex for the first time since their divorce in front of forty-five people (on set) is just plain interesting. That coupled with the fact that Spears arrives complaining of back pain and Demi later hurts her neck, turns these porn stars into actual people with problems that you or I might have. Add to the mix that it looks like they are actually shooting the scene in Demi’s home and I’m hooked, if a little disturbed as well.

Production is great, it could easily be on television. Story editing and whatnot is all working well and the people in and around Demi’s life are interesting and nicely portrayed in a non-exploitative way which helps make them feel more real and make me empathize that much more. The prevailing feeling being, these are relatively normal people in a very strange profession. Now, of course, one can only guess what’s been left on the cutting room floor, but they do a good job of making it so I’m not left asking.

First episode airs today on www.crackle.com, with new episodes out weekly through September 10th. I recommend the show if only to rubberneck because I think you might find something a bit deeper than what you’re used to with this type of thing. And if you like traditional porn, this is a behind the scenes like you probably haven’t seen before – a kind of tamer, more real peek behind the veil.