CO ED CALL GIRL


Nineteen year-old college student Joanna Halbert's (Tori Spelling) lack of self confidence and close friends steers her to the false security of seemingly trustworthy acquaintances, who seduce her into taking up the life of a high-priced escort. The  glamour of stretch limousines, designer clothing and parties in extravagant mansions provide Joanna with self esteem for the first time in her life, until the expectations of her job amass to being more than just an escort.

A student at a Los Angeles university, Joanna leads a plain and simple life, as she focuses her attention on her studies and job at her mother's bakery. Naturally beautiful and intelligent, Joanna's low self esteem  prevents her from any sort of social happiness, as she is the butt of many jokes and condescending comments by other girls who live in her dormitory. Her father dead, Joanna has also grown apart from her  mother, Teri (Susan Blakely), leaving a vast void that parental companionship would have offered.


As a practical joke, a friend of Joanna's roommate leaves her name and number with an  escort service that is hiring new ladies. Several days
later, Kimberly (Jeri Lynn Ryan) of  "Paradise Escorts" returns Joanna's "call" to invite her to a party. Skeptical at first, Joanna jots down the address out of curiosity and later decides to go to the party where she meets Kimberly. Kimberly  takes Joanna under her wing, and introduces her around to others, including the owner of "Paradise Escorts," Ron Tamblin (Scott Plank). As Ron charms Joanna, Kimberly tells her that a man she met earlier  would like to take her out fordinner. Originally tempted to accept the invitation, Joanna declines because she has nothing to wear. However, Kimberly lures her into her closet, which is teeming with  lavish clothing. Kimberly offers all of her clothing to Joanna, who is obviously impressed with the wardrobe and slowly gains the feeling of acceptance from everybody. As a limousine takes Joanna and her  date to an exclusive restaurant and night club, she becomes "giddy" by what is happening. For the first time in her life, she finally feels that she fits in.


Returning to the house after her date, Ron hands Joanna an envelope with four hundred dollars in it. Declining the money, Joanna says that she only did it for fun. Ron convinces her  to take it and offers her a job as an escort, promising her that she would not have to have  sex with any of her dates. Inebriated by the thought of having more evenings similar to the one she just had, Joanna accepts Ron's offer.

Joanna begins to secretly lead the double life of student/escort, as  she continues to work at the bakery and develops a relationship with another student, Jack Collins (Barry Watson).

A big fan of a famous writer who happens to be a client, Joanna is  given the opportunity by Ron and Kimberly to be his escort for a night. Her evening with him is a dream come true, as she decides to sleep with him. But by doing this, Joanna unknowingly opens the door  for higher expectations from Ron as her next date also expects the "whole package." Joanna politely refuses his sexual advances and leaves, but Ron and Kimberly guilt her into returning to the man's  house to give him what he wants.

As Joanna continues to divide time between her studies, the bakery, and Jack, Ron begins to give her more dates that increasingly become more strange. After a date with a man who  forces her to strip in front of a camera while he plays the piano, she informs Ron that she is quitting to spend more time with Jack. Unfazed, Ron coldly orders her to break up with Jack and threatens that if she quits, the safety of Teri and Jack would be placed in great jeopardy. Sobered by Ron's unscrupulous  demeanor, Joanna has no choice but to obey his word and continue working for him.

Now completely in control, Ron schedules Joanna a date with a repugnant man in a seedy motel in downtown Los Angeles.  Disgusted and panicked, Joanna immediately leaves the motel room, deciding that she has had enough of her new found profession. Upon returning to Ron's house, she confronts him and  tells him that she is definitely quitting, and that there is nothing he can do about it.

Seething with anger, Ron pulls out a gun and points it at her head to force her to have sex with him. Frozen with fear, Joanna gives  in to his orders, and begs him to remove the gun. Realizing that he's regained command of the situation, Ron sets his gun on the desk so he and Joanna can  have sex. Suddenly, Joanna grabs the gun and points it at him. He unsuccessfully tries to convince her to give up the gun, and moves towards his briefcase, where Joanna believes another gun may be stashed. Frantic, Joanna fires the gun, shooting Ron, and then rushes to her car to get away.

 The next day, two police detectives ask Joanna to go to the police station to answer some questions about Ron's shooting. Denying that she knows anything about it, a detective plays a 911 call Ron placed  after the shooting, in which he says she shot him. Joanna reveals to Teri that she's been a prostitute, but was in no way responsible for Ron's shooting. They hire lawyer Henry Binder (Carmen Argenziano),  to whom Joanna continues to deny her involvement with the shooting.

After Joanna is bailed out, Jack unexpectedly pays her a visit to profess his love and support for her, while she still has not admitted  her guilt. After studying all of the evidence, a suspicious Henry pressures Joanne about what really happened, but she vehemently denies his accusations. Teri, furious with Henry, takes exception to his accusatory  comments and begins to argue with him, bothering Joanna to the point that she finally admits to the both of them that she did indeed shoot Ron because he was trying to rape her.

In court, Henry establishes Ron's shady background by asking him questions about the various businesses for which he has failed to  pay any taxes. Growing increasingly indignant and nervous on the stand, Ron also cannot explain how Joanna got hold of his gun that she used against him. Joanna, on the other hand, admits to the wrongdoings of being a  prostitute and lying to her mother and the police. After being asked why she lied to her mother, Joanna breaks down, revealing that she couldn't tell her the truth for fear of letting her down. Overwhelmed with emotion,  Joanna apologizes to her mother, begging for her forgiveness.

Weighing the difference between the testimony of Joanna and Ron, the jury finds Joanna  not guilty of attempted homicide and assault in the first degree. As she and Teri victoriously leave the courthouse, Joanna is rejuvenated by the fact that she has overcome the  challenge of her life. This victory has given her the strength and courage she had never experienced before.


© The Kaufman Company 2013