Part of the problem here is the increasingly narrow focus. Up and coming actress Sunny Lane is nominated for a prestigious newcomer award and Naked Ambition uses the situation as a set-up, a forced front-to-back dramatic arc that lacks little of the impact the filmmakers believe it offers. While she is an unstoppable force, perky as a newborn puppy and kind of cute, when never really sympathize with her self-imposed struggle. After all, she claims to want a long and productive future in the business (both in front of and then behind the camera). Yet nothing we learn about her personality suggests anything other than an available body and a desire to use it for financial gain.
Grecco is clearly female-centric with his viewpoint. Peter North, Randy West, and Ron Jeremy are the only men given any real onscreen significance (Evan Stone is also shown throwing a tantrum during a fiery backstage argument). Granted, the gals seem much more flamboyant in how they approach the biz, but the guys play an important "part" as well. It's as if Grecco sees the women, who everyone argues are more or less interchangeable, as deserving more of the spotlight, while the meat puppets are pushed aside as the biological beefcake
By going so specific, Naked Ambition misses the bigger picture. Grecco lords over Tera Patrick and her husband Evan Seinfield, praising them as the ultimate power couple. He then reduces their appearance to a single portrait. He champions the "punk" passion of Joanna Angel but then turns her into a quirky competitor for Sunny's far more deserving crown. While no one is expecting a hard-hitting expose or bold bit of investigative journalism here, Grecco lets too many of his participants get by with the same old adult industry shtick. One memorable moment even has the photographer postulating that most porn stars aren't from broken homes or questionable backgrounds. Instead, he's desperate to paint them in a positive light, the better (one imagines) to aid book sales once the volume hits stores.
It's that element of obvious commercialization which finally forces Naked Ambition to own up to its true motives. Grecco isn't really out to discover the normalcy inside an outside the mainstream career choice. Instead, he's striving for as much publicity as a risky oversized niche item can garner. His voice-over angst, filled with concern over "capturing the moment" and "finding the inner story" is often countermanded by the standard model/artist dynamic on display. He routinely asks for provocative poses and nudity when, initially, he argued that this was antithetical to the overall approach. At other moments, as when Janine Lindemulder and former flame (and Blondage partner) Julie Ann reminisce, he stays strictly within his unobtrusive designs. As a feature length advertisement for a product, Naked Ambition is interesting. As a look inside the porn industry itself, it barely scratches the surface.
