Although the buddy comedy is certainly a well-worn template, the triumph of The Foxy Merkins, is its ability to make it seem shiny and new. This quirky film follows two lesbian prostitutes, one of whom actually identifies as heterosexual, in their misadventures on the streets of Brooklyn. But it's not as simple as that; in fact, trying to describe the film is a complicated task. Co-written by its stars, Lisa Haas and Jackie Monahan, the film feels like a "mockumentary" that combines a fictional narrative with a few appearances by what appear to be actual lesbian prostitutes.
The central action revolves around Margaret (Lisa Haas) and her learning how to improve her prostitution skills – namely, picking up clients and ensuring she gets paid for her services. Everything about Margaret's character is sort of set up for the audience to see her as an adorable misfit. She's innocent, and a little out of her league, but she's ambitious. The character of Jo (Jackie Monahan), is much more privy to prostitution. She's tall and slender, but just enough of a misfit herself to be able to strike up an unlikely friendship with Margaret. Undoubtedly, Margaret and Jo's friendship is principal in delivering the incredibly satisfying humor that the film depends upon. And make no mistake, the jump-cuts, handheld aesthetic, and particularly outstanding sound quality, coupled with Margaret and Jo's hilarious energy leave plenty of room for laughter. At first, it seems like "The Foxy Merkins," just wants to have a laugh – it's self-aware and laced with social commentary. Though, the film's conclusion reveals its true point of attack.
Early in the film, dropped right into the fictional narrative, are interviews with three women who are apparently actual lesbian prostitutes. You can hear the director asking them a few questions about their experiences, and their stories are truly engaging – it's not often lesbian prostitution is given a voice on film. And then toward the end of the film, this seemingly random inclusion comes full circle when Jo herself is giving an interview, years after her friendship with Margaret, about how wonderful her new life is. By doing this, the film seems to caution where society draws its lines – Jo's new life directly parallels the lives of the female clients who once solicited her. It does so subtly, but the film challenges the general assumption that an audience might make that prostitutes are some separate, foreign, entity.
It seems that this is the loudest message of the story, and the film's appeal certainly comes from the fact that this argument is supported by the low-budget, documentary-style aesthetic. It's real looking, and it's meant to be so. There are, however, a few seemingly extraneous bits to the story. Margaret's search for her mother remains relatively unresolved, and her momentary attraction to Jo is given more emotional weight than the comedic weight I think it warrants. Still, though, the film's peculiarities or missteps are enjoyable enough with Haas and Monahan together on screen for all of it. All in all, "The Foxy Merkins," doesn't lean too much on smarts or laughs, rather, it builds a world where both can work together. It takes the concepts of the buddy comedy into uncharted territory in a few really fresh ways, and for that alone deserves attention. Lisa Haas Jackie Monahan are a duo to keep an eye on, as is director Madeleine Olnek. That much is for sure.
