Straight-to-DVD: Ian McCrudden's A SWEDISH MIDSUMMER SEX COMEDY

Yes, the title should remind buffs of both Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen, and this is certainly intentional on the part of the film's distributor. I suppose those references are about as good as any, and the film you'll see, if you choose to buy or rent this 2009 endeavor, should at least vaguely remind you of Smiles of a Summer Night and A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy. That it does not come within a mile of the hem of either director's garment is no surprise. But it still manages to offer some comedy and melodrama set in a gorgeous location and featuring nice looking actors and a little nudity now and again.

Directed and co-written by an American, Ian McCrudden, shown at right (at least I believe he is an American -- he's credited as attending Stanford University), the movie stars a nearly all-Swedish cast plus Luke Perry, is spoken in both Swedish and English, and takes place in a large house on some gorgeous waterfront property in Sweden. So, yes, there's a sauna, skinny dipping and relatively frequent sex on parade. Several couples, matched and mis-matched, join for a midsummer getaway, with one woman very pregnant, another hoping to be, and a third about to be married -- though perhaps not entirely sold on the idea.

Into the mix arrives Mr. Perry (above, of that famous zip code), who plays the college roommate/best friend of one the Swedes, and, as the extra (and still quite attractive) man in the bunch, begins a flirtation or two. Things happen, most of them fairly predictable but still occasionally amusing, and once in awhile, even surprising. We're clued into some Swedish culture and mores, and we meet some good actors, whom we will hope to see again in even more interesting movies, down the road.

One of these is is blond young lady, Lisa Werlinder (shown above: think of her as the Swedish Reese Witherspoon) who proves a beautiful and appealing performer, as do most of the Scandinavian cast, in the midst of which, Mr. Perry, always the professional certainly holds his own. The crew, too, does a nice job in the cinematography, editing and music departments (some fun songs are chosen to decorate the sound track).

You won't write home to mom (or your film buff friends) about this movie, but it should provide some laughs along with nice scenery (of the both human and environmental sort). So if you can't afford a Swedish island vacation this year, here's the chance to take one -- very briefly (86 minutes) and on the cheap. A Swedish Midsummer Sex Comedy hits the streets this coming Tuesday, June 21. According to its distributor, GoDigital Media Group, you can now get it on DVD, look for it on iTunes, or add it to your Netflix queue.