It used to be the bartender was the guy to visit for a sympathetic ear and all for the price of a beer. In James Kicklighter’s short film Angel of Anywhere, the bartender has been replaced by a male stripper and the cost has gone up to the price of a “private show.”
Angel (Axel Roldos) is the most popular stripper at the even more popular Anywhere Bar. As he tells the frustrated new colleague D.C. (David A. Gregory), the real money is in the VIP rooms. The key to Angel’s success in the VIP room is his ability to listen and to empathize…and strip.
His first “VIP” is Michelle (Briana Evigan). This is Michelle’s first time in any strip club. Angel’s kind eyes and hard body helps loosen her up a bit. You see, Michelle is stuck in a marriage and insecure because she has to constantly pretend to be the person she was when she got married long ago.
“…the bartender has been replaced by a male stripper.”
Then there’s Brian (Ser’Darius Blain). Brian is confident and knows what he wants. But that confidence is an act. He plays the part of smooth and confident in front of others, but he has no idea who he really is and sadly, nor does his partner.
There’s a nice juxtaposition in Angel of Anywhere. On the one hand, you have strip club customers looking for a physical connection with a complete stranger and on the other, people who can’t connect with the those closest to them. Of course, Angel is there to point the way.
There’s a sweetness to the storytelling of writer’s Kate Murdoch and Casey Nelson, akin to Highway to Heaven along with a nice ending to wrap this neatly packaged gift. There’s also a dark heavenly beauty to its strip club setting. I suppose heaven can be found in the strangest of places.
Angel of Anywhere (2018) Directed by James Kicklighter. Written by Kate Murdoch and Casey Nelson. Starring Axel Roldos, Briana Evigan, and Ser’Darius Blain.
4 out of 5 stars
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