There is a certain kind of bizarreness that you only find in low-budget or straight-to-video cinema. Make no mistake, this is an awful film, but it's this straight-to-video charm (which I am going to arbitrarily name "Ed Wood Charm")that makes it enjoyable. The dialogue is lame and the plot must have been the result of a fun party game, but it's still enjoyable. Veteran actor Xander Berkeley gives another great performance, despite the material. I was impressed with Alyssa Milano. I used to think she got by on looks, but she gives a damn fine performance in this otherwise damned film. Nice job, Girl.
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Sergeant Hulka14 June 2003
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lost-in-limbo8 January 2006Lily is an art student who has moved away from home to start at a new collage, but also she's having trouble trying to fit in with her other pupils and flat mates. That's until she discovers a box in her closest that has some items that belong to a girl named Ivy. From what she gathered from these items that ranged from sexy clothing, her artwork and to diary, she was one fearless and raunchy girl who liked to play games and tease to get what she wants. So, now Lily strings along her guy who she's seeing and that of her married art teacher who slowly has became infatuated with her.
Alyssa Milano there's no shadow of a doubt that she's best reason for watching this extremely tacky picture; really that's it. When Milano makes her first appearance she looks reasonably daggy, but she sure does look fine either way. The first film, which starred Drew Barrymore and Tom Skeritt I thought, was somewhat dull and rather ordinary. Again this one is no better, but since I'm a sucker for anything that involves Milano, it had me clicked in! This treads the same path of the first flick by presenting a adult thriller that oozes with steamy erotica, so if you like your trashy melodrama, bare flesh and soft core sex, well then this should tickle your fancy. One thing that I thought that the original had over this pointless sequel other then an actual story, was that it had such a heavily grim edge to it. But nuff said about the first film, in-retrospect this one is far more sexy and more steamier than the first. Although the one redeeming factor of the film, of course Milano, can't help that it seems to loose steam soon after it eventually begins. It's hard to put in words, but not much did happen, really. No plot behind the convoluted mess, but to rehash what we've seen before with moments that try to outdo each other, pointless flashbacks of Ivy (not from the first film) and some sequences that miss the point. Even when Milano's character starts acting out the desirable ways of Ivy from her diary it's slightly hypnotic, but that's more to her tempting presence and desirable actions than that of the material. The film's unpleasant ending is one of the things that go beyond the call of nature, but then at least it had some energy going for it, but still it was a bit overwrought. The pacing is at a snails pace and because of that boredom quickly moves in.
Since its set amongst an art environment, the whole artiness of it got a bit too shallow for its own sake and it could have destroyed the overall mood, that's if it even had one. But this is what you expect from your run-of-the-mill low budget film that would go straight-to-video without a whimper. Alyssa Milano silky presence evokes such an allurement, but she doesn't just get by with her looks as her performance is definitely above average and Xander Berkeley dished out a more then decent performance. It's just too bad they had to work with such undeveloped characters and a stiff script that was filled with something corny amongst every few lines. Sometimes I thought it was too thick and they had too much to say when it probably would have worked out better with less or none at times. The soundtrack had some sustainable tunes from the easy listening, rock and Gothic but sometimes it was just too overwhelming in a very cheesy way. I most likely saw the cut version, which I watched off TV, but that's not what really bother me, it was that there were too many ad breaks which made the film drag even more. It's a real long shot to call this schematic flick good, but for the undemanding its light entertainment.
Only for those who enjoyed the original or have a soft spot for Alyssa Milano. Obviously, I'll be going with latter. -
Ride-324 May 2000Poison Ivy 2: Lily is a great movie, much better than the first. While the original Poison Ivy was very tame (it's only nudity was a brief shot of a bare butt) Poison Ivy 2: Lily contains loads of nudity. Lily arrives at an art college where she takes up with sculptor Gredin and poses nude for her art teacher Donald Falk. Soon Donald is so obsessed with Lily that he tries to rape her and that leads to some tragic consequences for all involved. I did enjoy the original Poison Ivy but enjoyed the 2nd much more because it dared to show more bare flesh and had a good storyline. I recommend that you see both films.
Poison Ivy 2: Lily is Rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, adult language, and for some violence.
NOTE: Poison Ivy 2: Lily was released in two versions: an R Rated version that trims some sex scenes, and an UNRATED version that contains two more minutes of sexual sequences. -
iryna-6957726 March 2019The film seems to incorporate some outrageously sexist / male-centered ideas - this has only become clear closer to the end, though. The heroine changed her way of clothing and behaviour to more sexy, self-esteem, confident, bold. She just gave her natural beauty a frame it deserves and therefore started to look totally stunning. However, what the ending of the film is evidently trying to say is that this was bad! It turns out that she commited a great mistake not being "attentive" enough (or whatever) to her boyfriend and posing to the artist while also allowing him a few intimate touches because she seemingly enjoyed it - a "great mistake" because the artist turned out to be obsessed with her and tried to rape her in his own home after the dinner they had had all together (the main heroine Lily, her boyfriend, this artist and his wife). As he was raping her, she didn't really try hard enough to get away or at least scream to get help (what every normal woman would do) - no, she seemed to succumb because she was probably afraid that his wife or her boyfriend would find out (sure, it's better to be raped!). But suddenly his little daughter saw the scene and got so scared/outraged that she ran out of the house and got hit by a car (which is of course very realistic). So finally, it's -acc.to the film- all the main heroine's fault for being too sexy !! What is even more disgusting, in the end she turns back to her old clothing and behaviour style and APOLOGISES to her boyfriend!! The first 2/3 of the film was interesting to watch, but it became really outrageous as soon as all this sexist stuff and absolutely unsuitable picturing of the main female character began.
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moonspinner554 June 20061992's "Poison Ivy" played like an art-house sleaze-piece with an eye on the cult-movie market (and, at this, it succeeded, despite a herky-jerky narrative). But since the heroine perished in that film's final moments, a sequel would seem unlikely. Not so, as Alyssa Milano's Lily finds out. After discovering and reading a diary written by the doomed Ivy (played in '92 by Drew Barrymore), Milano revamps herself, takes on a seamier personality, and causes sexual havoc. Quite a stretch trying to connect the two films, but at least the first movie had an interesting direction and some B-movie style. This dud has neither, nor is Milano the next Drew Barrymore. Followed in 1997 by "Poison Ivy: The New Seduction". NO STARS from ****
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vic_bf_2k54 April 2005I watched this film, when it was showed on TV a few weeks ago. i found it to be quite interesting, but mostly sex based. throughout the film, there are many sex scenes, mostly with Alyssa Miano in them. I found this film to be enjoyable and very watchable.the acting throughout the film, is to quite a good standard. i personally watched this film, as i am a fan of Alyssa Milano and therefore decided to watch it based upon that. this film is suitable for teens and older people, but i think that it is best to watch it when sexual release is needed, mostly by men. i found some of the sex scenes, gave the viewer ideas on what to do in the future, with a person they are sexual open with.
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allmoviesfan4 January 2023Alyssa Milano takes over the Poison Ivy mantle from Drew Barrymore in the second instalment in the series, four years on from the first. Milano plays Lily, a girl from Michigan who moves out to Los Angeles to go to college, and somehow manages to find a diary and some pictures of Ivy in a drawer and becomes somewhat obsessed with Ivy's personality. At the same time, she develops an attraction for Gredin, a housemate and fellow student in the art class that Lily is taking at college. There, her professor, Donald (played creepily by Xander Berkeley) develops a crush on her, leading to a pretty awkward love triangle. The more confident Lily gets, the more involved she gets with both men. And, it must be said, spends a lot of time naked or at least topless.
The finale is bleak and dark, like the first film. Not as good as the first, but okay. Great if you have a thing for Alyssa Milano. -
Having very little to do with the original Drew Barrymore starring vehicle, this sequel that ups the titillation and seaminess factor, has Alyssa Milano as Lily, an art major who recently went off to college in California. Like many 'innocent', 'wholesome' girls that go off to college in that state, it isn't long before she becomes a man hungry raving slut. Her transformation starts when she finds the diary of the deceased man hungry slut who lived in her dorm room before her. She lusts for this one guy in particular while her elderly art instructor lusts after her. The first film in the series was mediocre at best, so to say that this one gave me some trepidation over whether I should even watch it is a pretty accurate statement. But when I saw that it reunited Milano with Director Anne Goursaud, whom she last teamed up with for a little B-movie soft-core gem "Embrace of the Vampire', I decided to give the film a try. Well sadly lightning rarely ever strikes twice and the poor acting, lack of involving story, and most importantly not as much nude Alyssa as compared to the earlier Embrace, all turned me off and I found myself bored to tears long before the movies predictable final reel.
Eye Candy: Tara Ellison, Victoria Hass & Kate Rodger get topless; Alyssa Milano shows off T&A
My Grade: D-
Where I saw it: @ Max -
axile00717 June 2008Well,if you are Alyssa fan like me then this is the one which is surely not to be missed.Extremely tame story line and full of eroticism, the movie don't have much to offer in terms of any substance or plot.Lily(Alyssa Milano) is an art student who comes to California and join the drawing school.She rent the house nearby where she discovers the diary of a women she has never met.The diary is full of erotic desires & nude images which awakes passion in Lily as she become obsessed with the diary,try to mould herself like that women.......
But this is only one part of the story.Later its being shown that her art teacher is lustful about Lily,besides she is having a boyfriend also.Though movie is quite predictable and rather slow but there is no doubt that Alyssa Milano looked extremely cute & beautiful and totally the movie belonged to her.Sex scenes in the movie are rather unconventional but interesting.So inspite of having nothing the movie lives to its B-grade sex-flicks standard and as far as Alyssa fans are considered its a feast for them. -
rmax30482312 September 2008They ripped off the title from an earlier successful trashy movie, "Poison Ivy" with the all-grown-up Drew Barrymore as one of those seductive babysitters, and they ripped off the story from an earlier successful trashy movie, "Embrace of the Vampire" with the exuberantly nubile Alyssa Milano herself.
That will give you an idea of how much creative effort went into the making of this film, which is to say, none that you'd notice.
Here's the shamelessly permuted plot. Alyssa Milano, nice virginal girl, goes to a Bohemian art school, has an affair with an equally Bohemian guy, starts reading somebody else's diary, takes on some of the traits of the diarist, develops a crush on the sensitive but happily married guru in her painting class, begins to dress Goth, cuts her hair to a wicked length, begins to smoke (gasp!), treats her loving boyfriend recklessly, shuns her art teacher when he finally begins to put moves on her after she's practically thrown herself on him, bosom first, drives art instructor mad, destroys instructor's family, is discovered in flagrante delicto by the wife, throws her black girl friend out of her room, .... zzzzzzzz.
The only conceivable reason to see this piece of atrocious offal is to see Alyssa Milano take off her clothes and/or simulate intercourse, which she doesn't do nearly often enough in my opinion as expert on art schools, the perils of wearing black garments, erotic cinema, and the contours of Milano's bosom.
This is pretty crummy stuff we're dealing with here. Milano looks fine. How could she look otherwise? But her acting skills are modest, to put it kindly. Nice performance by her insane art instructor, though. Another plus for the androgyne who plays a soothing cello so that our ears are given a respite from the relentless WHANG of the score.
I mean, look at this. After a wild party, her alarm wakes her for an early class with her mad art teacher. She rolls out of the bed she's occupying with her boy friend. While she's performing her morning ablutions off screen, her lover begins to complain that she's changing. She's becoming weird. "You're not yourself anymore. I don't know who I'm talking to. I don't know who I'm making love to." Should he really CARE? Whoever he's making love to, the face and body resemble that of Allysa Milano. And let's face facts == no man would ever organize that sort of statement, nor would any man even know what the words mean. "I don't know who I'm talking to"? A WOMAN would say it, but a man? And then, to top it all off, while they're having this faux conversation, she's slinking around the room apparently wearing his jockey shorts, the kind with the fly and double fabric in front so you can't see through them. Has such perfidy ever been shown on screen? Don't miss this if you can. -
fairydustsetmefree28 January 2010Personally I thought the film was very entertaining.
The plot itself was very well planned out and the actors were fantastic. I'd describe this film as a great representation of a 90's genre flick, being that it was sensual and erotic while at the same time providing a thrilling storyline.
As a fan of Alyssa Milano I'd say this was one of her best films and Jonathon Schaech did a great job in this film as well. More than just a movie full of sexual scenes, it touches and delves into a topic we can all relate to. I mean how many of us haven't imitated a person we've idolized? It's not unnatural to want to be like someone you thoroughly admire.
Overall, this movie was very entertaining and worth the watch. If you're looking for a throwback to the good old 90's while getting to see some sensual action, then this is the movie for you. Definitely better than the first I'd say. But then, why don't you see for yourself? -
kairingler30 December 2007wow......Alyssa Milano, dang i'll never watch Who's the Boss the same way ever again. She does have a banging body let me say that much,, as for the movie.. where do i start, well here goes nothing, the premise i thought was okay,, i mean finding a diary, then trying to be somebody y our'e not to gain attention,, hmmm., anyway, she discovers her body, and what she want to do,, she is betrayed, betrays others, and is downright cold. i didn't care for the ending though, but everything else in between made sense to me. This isn't a bad sequel,, i thought the original was better, but this one was more sensual, and had more depth to it sexually than the first. This film reminds me of like a Soft Core Porn almost, sort of like Nicolas Cage in Zandalee, but softer, overall not a bad pic,
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poolandrews24 November 2010Poison Ivy II is set in Los Angeles as a teenage student named Lily Leonetti (Alyssa Milano) arrives two weeks late for the start of her life study art class at university having been delayed in Michigan. Shy, retiring & modest Lily is a very pretty girl who attracts the attention of local hunk Gredin (Jonathon Schaech) & her art class teacher Donald (Xander Berkeley). While at home in a university dorm Lily finds a box in her wardrobe, inside the box are some slutty clothes & & diary that belonged to the last resident, a girl named Ivy. Lily is fascinated by the diary & Ivy's thoughts, Lily starts to copy Ivy & think like her as she cuts her hair, gets a piercing & starts to wear very revealing clothes as she tries to decide whether she wants to date Gredin or Donald. Lily settles on Gredin but Donald won't let her go as easily as Lily would like & things turn violent as lives are torn apart...
Directed by Anne Goursaud this was the first sequel to the erotic thriller Poison Ivy (1992) whose only claim to fame is that it starred a young Drew Barrymore but otherwise was total crap, I saw the original Poison Ivy only last week & really didn't like it at all so while my expectations for Poison Ivy II weren't high even I was unprepared for just how bad this is. It's interesting to note that the script was written by someone called Chloe King so if we then remember the director was also a woman you could say that the main creative driving forces behind Poison Ivy II are women & it's maybe no surprise that it's the men who turn out to be the biggest scumbags here. In fact Lily does very little wrong here, she certainly doesn't do anything illegal or physically hurt anyone & it's the art teacher who goes all mental & comes across as the real villain of the film. Sure Lilly leads him on a little bit & flirts between the young hunky Gredin & the older married Donald but otherwise does nothing even remotely evil or dangerous or nasty. I thought the whole point of a Poison Ivy film was that it was the woman who was the seductive evildoer who used her looks & manipulative charm to get what she wanted & ruin lives in the process? Or am I wrong? Poison Ivy II is a slow moving, tepid, uneventful bore of a film that I really hated, at almost an hour & fifty minutes long I was seriously considering using the fast-forward button on many occasions & even the plot is a damp squib with hardly anything happening. There's a fight between Gredin & Donald at the end before Donald rather randomly walks off a roof for reasons I can't figure out but otherwise next to nothing happens. I haven't been this bored by a film in a while. Poison Ivy II has no edge, it's not dark enough, it has nothing relevant to say, it has zero entertainment value, it feels like it goes on forever, it's not thrilling or erotic &the connection to the original Poison Ivy is tenuous at best with the main florally named character Lily not acting like her anyway & quite why reading a diary would change her so drastically so quickly (like in a few hours) is hard to believe.
No-one dies in this & I can't remember any violence, a young girl gets hit by a car but it's her own fault since she runs out in front of it & she's fine anyway so it doesn't count. Even the so-called erotic scenes are completely lacking, they are very short & very tame as to be almost inconsequential. Although competently made Poison Ivy II is bland & forgettable, sure leading lady Alyssa Milano is a nice looking bird but so what when the rest of the films such a bore to sit through? The laughably bad moral message at the end about being yourself is so corny, badly written & delivered I was left shaking my head & ever so slightly embarrassed. Rather randomly there's also this small character named Robert who just seems to sit in his room all day playing the Chello, I'm not sure what he to do with anything but at least he was dedicated.
Probably a fairly low budget film Poison Ivy II has nothing going for it, it's drab & dull with no excitement or satisfying erotic content. The acting is average, I didn't think anyone came out with any great credit but then again I have seen worse performances I suppose.
Poison Ivy II is one of the most boring & tepid films I have seen in ages, Lily doesn't do anything wrong so there's no edge & the moral nonsense about being yourself is just to badly done to be effective. Unfortunately two further Poison Ivy films have been made, Poison Ivy: The New Seduction (1997) & Poison Ivy: The Secret Society (2008). Please no more, just stop now, thanks. -
callanvass20 April 2006This is a surprisingly above average direct to video sequel, that's rather entertaining and somewhat suspenseful, with a decent story and very good performances. All the characters are good enough, and it has some very erotic and steamy moments as well, plus Alyssa Milano is simply amazing in this!. There are lots of steamy erotic sex scenes, and this is a lot better then most of the direct to video sequels that come out now a days, plus It's decently made and written. After enjoying the 1st Posion Ivy, I decided to tape this sequel, and as I said before I was quite pleasantly surprised, plus Xander Berkeley is excellent in his role, and sometimes very creepy. Milano and Johnathon Schaech had pretty good chemistry together, and there is one very powerful scene involving Camilla Belle (the daughter) that I won't spoil for you, plus Lilly's character was surprisingly very likable and easy to understand. It has quite a suspenseful finale, and I say this could have gone for a theater run, plus the ending was predictable but good. This is surprisingly an above average direct to video sequel, that's rather entertaining and somewhat suspenseful,with a decent story and very good performances, and I say it's well worth the watch!. The Direction is good. Anne Goursaud does a much better job here then she did in Embrace Of The Vampire, with good camera work, decent angles and keeping the film at a fast enough pace. The Acting is surprisingly very good. Alyssa Milano is incredibly gorgeous and is amazing here, she is very likable, had some great emotional scenes, was sexy as hell, had pretty good chemistry with Schaech, and had an awesome powerful breakdown scene near the end! (Milano Rules!!!!). Johnathon Schaech is pretty good as the love interest he just has a certain presence about him, he was very good. Xander Berkeley is really excellent here, he was creepy as the obsessed lover, and shocked me with his actions in the finale he was really good. Camilla Belle is very good as the daughter, she was a great child actress!. Rest of the cast are decent. Overall worth the watch!. *** out of 5
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SnoopyStyle30 August 2015Lily Leonetti (Alyssa Milano) is a sweet girl arriving at Art school. She has a room with Tanya as her roommate. She finds a box of personal objects and starts reading the diary. She begins to change. She sleeps with fellow student Gredin (Johnathon Schaech). She starts babysitting for her teacher Donald Falk (Xander Berkeley). She becomes his muse posing nude for him as he becomes obsessed with her.
Alyssa Milano was trying to break out of her TV child star status by appearing in this and 'Embrace of the Vampire'. The writing from Chloe King of 'Red Shoe Diaries' is pretty awful and the film is not much better. This is a little better than softcore porn with Milano. Camilla Belle also shows up as the teacher's little daughter. -
helencmm20 October 2019Generally, the key word of the plot is "obsession". That's why this film intrigued me. I thought I was about to watch a film about erotic obsession, a topic that was very popular in 80s and 90s and started to look cheap in 00s. A topic that was really reprehensible and often you can see that these type of films (erotic thrillers) have low rating, with some exceptions. Everyone has it's own taste, so I personally like erotic thrillers and especially when they're about erotic obsession, but now things are really complicated.
Let's start by saying that there was so much nudity that I really felt uncomfortable. I've seen so many films with nudity, but this one gave me the impression that I was watching some kind of soft porn. I would prefer the nudity parts were shorter and not that frequent.
Then, the flow of the plot. It was really over the top. How can a diary affect you that much? It's ridiculous. The "tragic" sequence was really silly. They were many cringeworthy moments that made me want to pause the film for a bit.
Some characters were really unnecessary and they're was bad acting throughout the film. Even the dialogues were improvised.
Alyssa Milano was beautiful as always, but unfortunately that isn't always enough.
I had myself laughing at some scenes, because of the cringy aura. Should I give a credit because it made me (at least) laugh (even though it wasn't on purpose)?
I don't know if the director wanted to make a softcore, but it wasn't a nice try. I really think that films like this degrade the "erotic thriller" subgenre and that's why it's not that common nowadays and if there is, it will be strongly criticised.
Thanks to all these aforementioned reasons, this film was quiet fun to watch. I liked the general idea that an artist has an erotic obsession over a young student, but only this thing.
I don't personally recommend it, but if you don't something to do and you want to watch a bad film on purpose, give it a try. I have these moments too sometimes. I just want to watch a bad film, so I can berate it. But always sparingly. -
arcticcarrot29 January 2010I've just finished watching this insanely bad movie, and I'm having trouble deciding which is worse - the script or the music. It's a tough choice. I actually was in the mood for a bad movie tonight, but a fun bad movie. And that's exactly what I expected from this. Also, I watched the unrated version, so I expected a few sexy moments. Sadly, there are none. There is nothing the least bit erotic about this movie. Even if you watched it with the sound off to avoid the horrible (and horribly intrusive) music, the lighting is so bad, and the shots so poorly composed, that the sex scenes are boring and irritating. And then there's the script. Johnathon Schaech's character has slept with Alyssa Milano's character twice and then says, "I don't even know who I'm making love to anymore." Really? After sleeping with her twice? It's after a Halloween party, and they've established that she showed up to campus two weeks after the semester started. So she's been there, what, a month? The back of the DVD box calls it an erotic thriller. It's not erotic, and the director tried to make it a thriller when there was just under 13 minutes left in the film. Suddenly there is a shadow lurking outside her window, and then someone coming up the stairs, with those ridiculous early 1980s-type shots. Right before this we had the only bit in the film that made me laugh - the teacher's child suddenly running out of the house in slow motion. Oh no, is she heading toward the road? What could possibly happen here? Will there be a car? Will she get hit? Will we get the closeup of the headlights? Will her stuffed animal go flying up in the air, also in slow motion? Of course. Terrible. How do the writer and director of this film live with themselves? And at the end, Alyssa Milano's character explains everything that she's done, everything that's happened in the film, in a sort of apology to Jonathon Schaech's character, while he seemingly ignores her and continues work on his backyard sculpture. And then when she's done telling us everything that we just watched, will she walk away, only to hear Jonathon Schaech say, "I love you"? And will the music swell insanely right then? And is that the end of the film? Yes, yes, yes.
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LordHighWarlock2 September 2006Bad, bad idea for a follow-up to the original. Like "Highlander 2," this one is best forgotten.
The only link to the original is the name, and a reference to a former college student named Ivy...at an art college, of all places.
Alyssa Milano tried to pull off the good girl to bad girl to good girl transition, but it just wasn't that convincing. And to try and boost her career by having multiple sex scenes was a sorry way to do it. Really, who thinks of this film when they hear her name? I gave it an extra star just because I liked her as a child star on "Who's the Boss?" Unlike the original, there's not a lot of suspense via cinematography. Instead, they opted for multiple nude / sex scenes. Honestly, if that's what you want in a film, you're better off renting a porno...the acting will be better.
If it wasn't for the fact that I like to keep things in sets, I'd give this DVD away. If all you want is to see Alyssa Milano naked, then you'll enjoy this film. Otherwise... -
LostJohnny15 January 2007The biggest problem of this movie is the fact that is presumes to be a sequel to the Drew Barrymore film that came out several years earlier. This is unfortunate, one cannot help but be put off by the fact that none of the original players from PI are in this and it has no connection what so ever to the original (Lily finds Ivy's diary and feels some kinship). Anyone can see this film is about a completely different person. Ivy (Drew Barrymore) was headstrong and used her youth and beauty to manipulate a family whose home she invaded via there outcast daughter. Lily is an "art student" read, innocent young co-ed who's admission to "Art School" (this school seems to exist on another planet) is questionable. Does she have any real talent? Is she there as a plaything for the randy professor ? How much does ones attractiveness enter into ones academic life? We are treated to countless lightweight school movies where pretty young actresses disrobe, dance around and act as props, here is a film that is a cut above, not far above mind you, but I really thought they were trying to say something. Alyssa Milano is so stunning that she can get away with much. Her undressing and very long lovemaking scenes, while soft core, are still very steamy and effective, she really is amazing. Also the film is shot in very lush tones. It is a very pretty film without much plot, but this is appropriate here. I like Alyssa Milano very much and I don't object to her doing STV stuff as the small screen has always been her domain. It's small praise but this is much, much better then Embrace of the Vampire, hey I told you it was small praise. Since these films are often mentioned in the same breath, this one should be pointed out as being superior.
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BA_Harrison27 August 2012Lily (Alyssa Milano) is a shy Michigan art student who has somehow managed to secure herself a place at an LA college despite her pathetic scribblings resembling that of an average twelve year old. Soon after moving into her student lodgings, Lily discovers a diary that once belonged to Ivy, the disturbed babe played by Drew Barrymore in the first film. Inspired by Ivy's confidence and fearlessness, Lily adopts a new, more seductive persona to help her overcome her reservations and be accepted by her peers.
Having briefly held a reputation for being a wild child, hottie Alyssa Milano must have seemed like the obvious choice to follow in Drew Barrymore's footsteps for this sequel to Poison Ivy; but despite Milano happily shedding her clothes to indulge in several steamy soft-core sex scenes, Poison Ivy 2 proves to be less fun than the original movie.
Barrymore's Ivy was damaged goods: an unpredictable loose cannon, she exuded a genuine air of sexual danger, and yet this 'bad-girl' was still worthy of our compassion, her damaged psyche clearly the result of a very troubled childhood. In short, she was complex as well as sexy.
Poison Ivy 2's Lily has a far less valid excuse for her wanton behaviour: her upbringing apparently trauma-free, Lily is simply desperate to be popular and feels that the best way to achieve this is to act like a total slut. It doesn't make her very endearing (alluring yes, but not exactly likable) or particularly interesting.
The male characters in this film are as equally vapid and unagreeable: Lily's sculptor boyfriend Gredin (Johnathon Schaech) is a clingy pretty boy who proves to be as bland as his 'art', while lustful teacher Donald Falk (Xander Berkeley) is not only an adulterous sleaze-bag but every bit as bad an artist as his students.
After lots of fairly unexceptional eroticism, during which Milano flashes her tits a lot (yayy!), Poison Ivy 2 moves into predictable thriller mode for the finalé, a frustrated Falk getting his rape on with temptress Lily, only to be caught in the act by Gredin, Falk's wife Angela (Belinda Bauer) and his daughter Daphne (a young Camilla Belle), and then become a knife wielding lunatic destined to die by the closing credits.
Poison Ivy 2 is available in both rated and unrated versions on Region 1, but unrated is clearly the way to go, with several minutes more of Alyssa in the buff being a naughty, naughty girl. -
maggot6668527 May 2003Alyssa Milano's nudity did not make this movie trashy. This movie was the best one of the Poison Ivy saga. It had a very good plot and was very interesting. I don't think it was just a soft core porn movie, I believe all the nudity had a reason that was directly associated to the plot.
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RavenGlamDVDCollector27 July 2015Finally saw it on DVD after all these years. Soon I'll get to the next two as well. My rating is mostly for the beauty of Alyssa Milano's face, as the movie itself kind of falls flat in obvious ways. And the ending is such a cop-out. Okay, in the tradition of POISON IVY the original with Drew Barrymore, there had to be violence, notably a fall from a high building, but really, poor old Donald Falk, even if he had been intoxicated... I just don't buy it. Like I said, Alyssa makes it worth watching. Good nude scenes with the uncredited model as well, whether she is Jaime Pressley or not, that will possibly remain legend, but I 'had great fun with those scenes just a while ago'. But the script is lame, especially the closing scene.
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I'm not a big fan of films with a strong erotic material, but I decided to watch this film to see if it followed the storyline of the film that preceded it, and which was starring Drew Berrymore. The producers may even have wanted to establish a connection, but the fact is that they have nothing in common except nudity and eroticism.
The story is quite simple: Lilly is a young university student who has just joined a Californian art college, a long way from her home and family. She is a normal young woman, like so many others, beautiful but not the kind of woman who would make a man lose his head... until he finds, lost in his university republic bedroom, a box with the assets of a previous occupant: Ivy. And her words will be as poisonous as she was, given that they manage to corrupt Lilly and lead her on a dangerous path, where seduction is only the first of many forbidden pleasures.
I think any college student knows the old story of the student who gets sexually involved with her teacher. It's not just a cliché (I know several examples where it really happened and I don't even need to leave my university campus), it's a story that we've seen many times in many other films, and probably with better stories and more appealing characters. Besides, let's face it, Lilly doesn't even have a tenth of Ivy's evil spirit and perversity. She seems just lost in the midst of a kind of identity and self-assertion crisis. She never looks like a woman worthy of our fear, a dangerous seducer who can ruin our life. In fact, Lilly even seems more suggestible and influential than the character Sylvie, which we saw in the first film. I think the script was very poorly designed and, therefore, stands out for the lack of realism.
The cast is led by Alyssa Milano... and unlike Drew Barrymore, she is a very weak actress, who didn't know how to give her character the charisma and presence that it required. Well, actually, I think the problem will be more in the script and in the way the character was conceived than in the way the actress acted. The rest of the cast is not even worth mentioning. Most are at the basic level.
Technically it is a rudimentary film, clearly made for TV or, at least, already considering having a more profitable route on the small screen. And this time neither the soundtrack stands out for the positive. It's a film with a very low budget and that didn't pay attention to the technical aspects, being limited to the simplest, at all levels.