Girls of the White Orchid

Jennifer Jason Leigh, fresh off her almost-star-making performance in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High", plays a Los Angeles waitress and would-be singer who thinks she's hit upon a great career move: signing with a Japanese company to work at a nightclub in Tokyo. She quickly learns the club White Orchid is owned by the Yakuza, who take her passport and sell her into prostitution. Well, that's definitely a change from schlepping burgers on Hollywood Boulevard! Promising director Jonathan Kaplan helmed this teleplay by Carole Raschella and Michael Raschella, though the script shows the sweat stains of many hands. It amusingly tries to have things both ways: be a finger-wagging diatribe on the pitfalls of being too independent while also reveling in the seamier aspects of its scenario. The DVD release not only changed the title to something more salacious, but also added heretofore unseen nude shots. I'm sure everyone involved was just so proud... * from ****