"The Canyons" is not the sort of film I'd normally watch. The movie is essentially a low budget porno film with more plot...which surprised me a bit since the film was on Netflix. The reason I chose to see it was because it has a rating of 3.8....nearly enough to merit its inclusion on IMDB's infamous Bottom 100 List...something I try to see as many of them as I can. Yes, I am apparently a masochist.

As I watched, I assumed that the low score was simply because it's a Lindsay Lohan film. But after reading up on co-star James Deen and the dozen or more rape allegations against him, perhaps this is much of the reason the film is hated by so many viewers.

The film itself plays like a porno film with a little less nudity (just a bit) and a bit more plot...albeit not a very deep one. Apparently, Tara (Lohan) wants money and to feel wanted...and the oddly named Christian (Deen) fits that bill. He's an odd man. While he encourages her to have sex with various people while he watches, he MUST be in control. At first, this control is exciting because Tara can just turn off her mind and let him run her life. She also likes all the kinky hookups with him and various other folks joining in with the fun. Later, Christian shows his jealous and possessive side...especially when she begins seeing another man. Eventually this leads to very violent things....provided you keep watching the movie...which is a bit doubtful.

If you are looking to see a lot of Lindsay, well you might feel disappointed. While there is lots of male frontal nudity and other women, it's odd that Lohan is mostly covered up in her nude scenes. As for me, I wish all the nudity wasn't in the film because it seems to take the place of plot AND isn't very sexy...especially that green sparkly scene.

So is the film worthy of an inclusion in the Bottom 100 or is there more to it than this? Well, I will say it was hard to like the film because the characters were difficult to like, being mostly selfish and underwritten jerks. Of course, it's not like folks watch porn for the plots...and the plot and nudity don't deliver. The film just didn't have enough plot for a mainstream film nor enough nudity for porn. I personally would have preferred the story with less nudity and more character development. Finally, I felt uncomfortable with the juxtaposition of sex with violence. Overall, a film that isn't particularly enjoyable to watch....not so much bad as not.

Seeing that this stars Lindsay Lohan the train-wreck and James Deen the porn star, the long knives are coming out for this movie before it finished taping. With all the bad press, I was expecting an amateurish mess. The one main thing that I got from this film was that this was professionally made.

The filming style looks good. Lindsay Lohan is ... well ... Lindsay. Certainly she's not going to win any awards but she still has the screen presence. James Deen does a good douche bag. Maybe that's just his real personality. Everybody fit their roles. Lindsay is a cold emotionally damaged ex-star. Deen is sexually perverted. They might as well used their real names.

The one thing that I wish they would improve on is setting up more danger at the start. A better foreshadowing would improve the tension. Instead, it's strictly a linear time line and the start of the movie is rather slow. It doesn't actually start moving till the middle of the movie. Overall, it's a good effort for a low budget indie.

If you have the man responsible for writing Taxi Driver at the helm, you'd be excused if you thought more would come of the movie. You might also be disappointed by the acting. That is overall, not one name that should stand out in particular. You also might question the movie itself, because it does seem like a therapy session for Lindsay Lohen ... the story seems to fit that.

The movie itself though does have some issues it discusses, about relationships, about society, about fame, about many things that are worth exploring. It's not like the movie is a complete waste as you can see, unfortunately even the nudity will not help overlooking its flaws, and there are more than I listed above. Still an interesting movie, if you see it as an experiment ... even if it could and should be better