Facebook introduced the “like” button in 2009, and the world has never been the same. Ever since, we’ve all been chasing those mystical little “thumbs-up” signs in a never-ending quest for the dopamine hit they inevitably provide. In its latest, typically creative porn filmmaking venture, JoyBear has taken those likes and comments and turned them into the fuel for a new erotic adventure. In the opening narration, pornstar Saskia explains that her industry friends are tremendously competitive when it comes to social media posts. She is settling the score once and for all with a little contest. “Their mission, should they choose to accept it, is to create a consensual movie (obviously) with the most likes and comments combined within a week of going live.” So far, so cute! But will Like This live up to this breezy, entertaining intro?
In scene one, Sam Bourne is shooting a vignette for his internet cooking show. As we absorb his culinary knowledge and admire his sweet, boyish charms, girlfriend Nata Ocean crashes the party. She’d like to shoot some content, too, but for a channel decidedly more risqué than Bourne’s foodie channel. Naturally, he can’t resist, his libido presumably prodded by some of the culinary delights he’d just been whipping up. The style of the overall movie is firmly established here, with all the action formed from two separate cellphone vantage points skillfully edited together. By the scene’s end, they’re joking about Bourne producing his very own, all-organic variety of “frosting” in the sequence’s orgasmic final moments. When one of them muses, “Why aren’t all cooking shows like this?” the audience can’t help but ponder the same question.
Scene two opens with a scenario most of us have become familiar with in the post-COVID world: the video chat. Happy couple Paulita Pappel and Jesús Reyes FaceTime as they get dressed and discuss their plans. In its own quiet way, this portion of the scene recalls the famous lovemaking scene in Nicolas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now, which edited a sex scene into shots of a couple dressing before an evening out. Once Paulita and Jesús are dressed, Paulita mentions that she wants to have sex with him while they’re both still clothed. Jesús can barely contain his glee at the idea. There is passion and playfulness in their intimacy, like a couple that’s been together for a long time but still knows how to find ways to keep things fresh. The closeups in the handheld cellphone footage help bring us even closer to this pleasurable pair.
Scene three continues with the video chat theme, this time as a job interview. We join Sylvan as he wraps up a Skype call with a prospective employer just as his girlfriend (Nata Ocean) drops in to see how things went. Channeling Jeffrey Toobin, Sylvan kept cool during the interview by leaving his pants off. That saves a few steps for Nata, who is clearly aroused by Sylvan’s hustle to find exactly the right job. They get down to their own business then and there, but, hmmm, did they remember to hang up on the Skype call? The twist in this scene is easy to see coming, of course, but it does not diminish the overall swelter and sex appeal of the action.
Scene four moves in a slightly different direction by focusing on a foot fetish theme. We open with a frame-filling shot of Diosa Mor’s feet, which are so gloriously, lusciously telegenic that I am pretty sure I discovered my own previously uncharted foot fetish by scene’s end. She models a new pair of shoes for ladyfriend Liz Rainbow, whose awestruck sincerity and reverence for Mor’s feet are a delight to behold. The action expands beyond foot fun for a lengthy sequence of lesbian lovemaking before returning to Mor’s beautiful arches at the very end.
The movie ends by revealing which of its scenes garnered the most overall likes and comments, but I dare not reveal that here. Watch the full flick to discover which sequence clicked most with audiences, and indeed which one will click most with you.
Baskin’s bottom line
As I think back on Like This as a whole, I can’t help but return to the very beginning of the movie, which features Saskia’s overview of the video’s overall concept. This elegant little intro sums up everything we love about JoyBear. It’s simple, fun, and emphasizes the brand’s peerless rep as one of the great purveyors of ethical porn. Were JoyBear a person, they’d be the sort you’d want to have a glass of wine with and chat about philosophy, a Mahler symphony, or the latest Coen Brothers movie. Yes, in the end, porn is largely intended to be a sort of masturbatory fodder, but JoyBear transforms this from animal instinct into a smooth, sweet experience, full of lightness and joy. Go ahead and smash the like button on Like This.