This is a Lifetime made for TV (TV-14) film based on the true story of porn star Belle Knox because guys don't watch girls named Miriam Weeks (Haley Pullos). She was a student at Duke and decided on her own to go into the adult film industry to pay for tuition. Needless to say she couldn't keep the secret as every guy at Duke watches porn.

The film does two things: First it attempts to normalize or legitimize the porn industry as main stream adult. Miriam reached out to the industry. In many ways this is good as it eliminates the need to have fake model auditions and coerce young ladies into the industry with fake promises. The second thing it shows is that once you do porn, you are branded a porn star forever. (There are exceptions.) That is what people will always see and it makes former and new relationships difficult. Bikini shots and scenes pushing the TV-14 rating.

Filmed in Canada.

The new Lifetime TV movie "From Straight A's To XXX" premiered tonight.It tells a story that is based on the true story of Miriam Weeks,also known by her stage name Belle Knox.Haley Pullos stars in this TV movie that tells the story of a college student at Duke University who resorted to becoming a pornographic star in order to support herself with her expensive college expenses at amounted to as much as $60,000 a year.Breakfast Club star Judd Nelson co-stars with Pullos,who also appears in the long-running daytime TV show,General Hospital,in this TV movie directed by Vanessa Parise.

Interestingly,this new TV movie focused more on Belle's beliefs and her choices in life.Aside from that,it brought up issues that are affecting millions of Americans today such as rising expenses of getting a college education.Added to that,it brought up fact that the real Belle Knox,who evidently became a media celebrity,to defend her choice to becoming a porn actress to afford college.In her interviews in TV shows such as Young Turks or Piers Morgan at CNN,she defended her involvement in pornography as college has become less affordable to the average American as well as a part of her feminist views considering that she has the right to choose on how to use her body and what industry she can get involved in as long as it is legal and she isn't committing any crime.Aside from that,this also brought her empowerment as it brought another side of her from being a nerdy student and to another character or to her alter-ego known as Belle.Surprisingly,she is not asking sympathy from people especially those who criticize her as a "slut",brought her sexual ridicule or harassed her no end but to respect her choice as a porn actress to be able to afford college tuition and to defend pornography as a legal business.

No question that we got more into a political drama.Didn't she become an activist at the conclusion?The screenplay did a good job on providing a balanced views on Belle's choices.It provides defense on the logic of her choice and it also presents those who do not agree with her decision through the characters that she is in conversation with as they bring up the issue of lack of fulfillment and happiness,morality of the job that she is engaged with,and her character's naivety and lack of wisdom being only 18 years old.The viewer may agree or disagree with Belle particularly her views and her choice to resort to porn as a way to support college.Obviously,the viewer is allowed to think about it while watching the TV movie and given the opportunity to evaluate her beliefs and her character whether they are worthy of respect or not.

With that,it makes it good TV movie to watch since it isn't typical of a Lifetime movie that would normally present a clichéd and predictable movie that a viewer is usually served that is why I would rate it higher as compared to that others.

This review is written from an open minded male father's perspective. The film was difficult to watch as a father who would not want his own daughter having to earn her university tuition making adult films, nor being harassed by both male and female college students insulting her for her choice of employment and propositioning her to have group sex. Funny hah hah? No! Funny nah nah! People make personal choices in their life but they should not be openly criticized just because we may not agree with what we may consider to be a poor choice.

On the other hand I would be even more uncomfortable if my daughter earned her income working the grave shift at a gas bar where she could get robbed and/or raped by gunpoint with no one around to stop the crime. I would also not want my daughter operating a crane 50 stories up in the air, or excavating coal 200 feet under the earth surface all considered to be dangerous but acceptable employment from the mass perspective.

The message I absorbed from this made for TV film loosely based on the true story of the life of Miriam Week's using the stage name Belle Knox while performing in adult films and attending Duke University where her annual tuition fees were $60K a year Miriam relieved herself from the financial stress of her choice of school's expensive tuition and unfortunately replaced that with even a greater stress by attempting to maintain a secretive life in the adult porn industry from her family and school friends. One would ask why didn't she just apply for government loans? Miriam did apply to the government for financial assistance but she was turned down by the government.

Yes, there is a seedy side to working in the adult film industry where women appear to be the subject of pay for play but ask yourself this question. How many men in adult films make as much money as their female co-stars do? Although I did not agree with Miriam Week's choice of employment she appears to have come out of the experience all in one piece and she has a message for the rest of the world. University tuition is very expensive and maybe Bernie Sanders should run again for the U.S. presidency in 2020 to have his platform succeed, free tuition for all students and free health care. Even the adult film actors would be in favor of that platform. It appears that Miriam Weeks may take up the stand in her future political career if Bernie would only agree to support her.

I give this made for TV film a decent 6 out of 10 rating.