Naked Ambition

“This project is the portrait of a culture,” explains director Michael Grecco, former photojournalist turned celebrity photographer, of his latest effort: a coffee-table volume featuring pictures of adult-film performers, entrepreneurs, and fans. Naked Ambition chronicles the making of the book, including his experience taking photos during the three-day AVN Show, the largest adult industry convention in the world. Grecco, who subtitled his publication and his movie “An R-Rated Look at an X-Rated Industry,” is genuinely intrigued by this culture of exhibitionism and uninhibited sexuality and uses his camera to capture the personalities rather than the bodies (the documentary does feature some nudity, but surprisingly little considering the subject matter). Grecco profiles two rising stars and roams the exhibit hall floor to watch the starlets sign autographs and the salesmen hawk their sex toys and movies, but—unfortunately—never looks beyond the showbiz fantasy of the porn business to investigate its seedier aspects. Offering no real insight into either the field or the participants, Naked Ambition is practically a love letter to the industry, an upbeat portrait with a bouncy, high-energy soundtrack featuring charismatic performers who purportedly love their work. Not recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Axmaker)