365 Days

Although weirdly entertaining in its own sleazy way, this is an adolescent boy's dream about what women want, a sexual fantasy to "prove" that women who say "no" really mean "yes." Poorly written and largely ridiculous in its attempt to portray human character (and in its blatant rip-off of Fifty Shades of Grey and nod to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew), 365 Days will nevertheless titillate those patient enough to wade through terrible dialogue and senseless plot to get to the erotica. Given that Netflix deems two minutes of watching time an official "view," it's possible that many are skipping to erotic scenes without watching the self-important rot in between.

The gangster seemingly proves his nobility when he promises he'll never do anything without Laura's permission, but then promptly puts one hand on her breast and the other around her neck as she tries to writhe away. Uh, perhaps it's time to revisit the definition of "permission"? Most extraordinary and blatantly misogynist are sympathetic nods by Massimo's friends to how difficult Laura is, as if experienced and knowing men of the world are often forced to tolerate temperamental women, ignoring completely that Laura's contrariness isn't a sign of diva tendencies, but rather the normal response of someone trying to run from her captor. That Laura flaunts her sexuality in front of Massimo might imply she's asserting her power, but it reads as if the movie believes women are teases who want to "succumb" to powerful men, providing ammunition for men who argue that women just want to be treated roughly and dominated. At least the 1993 film Indecent Proposal used money to incentivize a woman's sexual surrender to unwanted male attention rather than suggesting that women are turned on by domineering and brutal men who take what they want.