‘Striptease’ Is Comedy - Really

Attractive single mother takes job as stripper to regain her daughter in a child custody battle. In the process, she must deal with her lunatic ex-husband, a lecherous congressman and solve a murder.

A “sexy thriller” (UPI), an “erotic suspenser” (Hollywood Reporter) or a “a role that challenges stereotypes” (Demi Moore, the film’s star)?

No, “Striptease” is a comedy (granted, a dark one), insists Castle Rock Entertainment, which has gone to some effort and expense recently to position its $40 million film correctly in the marketplace for its June 28 release.

The film, which also stars Burt Reynolds and Armand Assante, is based on the best-selling novel by Carl Hiaasen.

“I’m a little baffled by the confusion about what it is,” said “Striptease” director Andrew Bergman. “The confusion is widespread. We all just assumed that people would know it’s a comedy. Anybody who read the book knows it’s going to be funny.

“But we had a perception problem and I think we didn’t immediately recognize the problem. I think the (studio) wised up to the fact that they have to tell people it’s a comedy because people didn’t know the book. It’s not like it’s ‘The Godfather’ or ‘The Firm,’ which everybody knows.”

The two-minute trailer currently playing in theaters emphasizes the comedic aspects of the film, with at least one line delivered by co-star Ving Rhames guaranteed to draw big laughs.

Still, the movie’s poster, featuring a nude Moore with arms and legs carefully positioned, hardly screams comedy.

There’s nothing funny about the $12.5 million being paid to Moore, who plays single mother-turned stripper Erin Grant in the film. That figure is reportedly the highest ever paid to a screen actress.

“What distorted everything about the movie was when (it was announced that) she got paid that figure,” said Bergman. “Suddenly, everything focused on that.” Further clouding the perception of what “Striptease” is really about has been the connection drawn to “Showgirls,” a critically reviled box-office flop from last fall.

Although Hiaasen’s “Striptease” was purchased by Castle Rock nearly four years ago, the association between the two “S-word” films persists.

“When people hear the word ‘Showgirls’ and the word ‘Striptease’ they think it’s the same thing,” said “Striptease” producer Mike Lobell. “I don’t blame for them for that, but we’ve had to overcome it.”