And Then Came Lola (DVD Review)

13 May, 2010 By: Billy Gil

Street 5/18/10
Wolfe
Comedy
$24.95 DVD
Not rated.
Stars Ashleigh Sumner, Jill Bennett, Cathy DeBuono, Jessica Graham.

One could do worse than And Then Came Lola for a fun lesbian romantic comedy. It offers an interesting conceit — the same story is told three ways — but it doesn’t offer much in the way of depth.

Spunky Ashleigh Sumner plays Lola, a girl who doesn’t have her stuff together and is trying to deliver photographs to a business meeting her girlfriend, Casey (Jill Bennett), is having with a new business prospect, hottie Danielle (Cathy DeBuono) — or is she an old flame? Certain plot points change, but what stays the same throughout the retellings is Lola’s determined, if flakey, persona, as she runs and catches rides through San Francisco (which is basically presented as lesbitopia) after her car gets booted by a flirtatious meter maid.

More attention could have been given to Lola’s relationship with Casey, so we care more when their relationship hits a bump. As it stands, the lesbian love triangle at the center of the film has its sexy moments but ultimately falls flat, as does the film’s attempt at a message toward the end. Much more entertaining are Lola’s exploits on the way to meet Casey, which are playfully interspersed with animated portions, such as Lola being chased by a girl’s dog after she steals the girl’s place in line for the bathroom. During these parts, And Then Came Lola is plenty enjoyable as a whimsical diversion.