Cleo Leo (often displayed as Cleo/Leo) is a 1989 sexploitation film version of the stage play Goodbye Charlie. The cast includes former porn stars Ginger Lynn Allen (aka Ginger Lynn) and Jane Hamilton (aka Veronica Hart) who do much of the gratuitous nudity.
As with the play and 1964 film Goodbye Charlie, the main character Leo Blockman (Scott Baker) is a lecherous womanizer who gets shot and reincarnates as a woman. In this version, Leo is shot by an insane woman (Jennifer Delora) he tries to pick up on the street. His body falls into the river. He emerges later in the body of a woman he'll eventually name Cleo (Jane Hamilton). Returning to the business he owns, he learns that his nephew Marvin Blockman (Alan Naggar) has grabbed control of the company rather than follow Leo's legitimate last will and testament and let it go to his son. Cleo gets a job as Marvin's secretary, and with the help of secretary Karen (Ginger Lynn Allen) and foreman Bob Miller (Kevin Thomsen) Cleo works to secure controlling interest. But, Cleo must also deal with counter moves by Marvin, as well as Bob's romantic interest in her.
Despite various scenes with gratuitous nudity and one mild, limited sex scene, the movie didn't quite qualify as a porno, getting an MPAA rating of R.
Cleo Leo provides examples of:
- Gender Bender: Leo is killed and reincarnates as Cleo.
- Going Native: An unusual variation mixed with elements of Split-Personality Takeover. Initially 'Cleo' has an internal monologue in Leo's masculine voice indicating that the reincarnation is purely physical. As the film progresses and 'Cleo' adapts to life as a woman the 'Leo' mental voice begins to become fainter and interspersed with an internal voice in Cleo's feminine voice with 'Leo' expressing resentment, anger and reluctance to change while 'Cleo' expresses confusion but also acceptance and femininity including attraction to Bob. Eventually, half way through the movie the 'Leo' voice fades away completely leaving just 'Cleo' as she begins to think of herself as a woman.
- Karmic Transformation: Leo takes advantage of women, treating them as disposable sex toys. He is reincarnated as a woman himself. (twice)
- Laser-Guided Karma: Leo is a womanizer and sexual harasser. He reincarnates as one of his former prey.
- Reincarnated as the Opposite Sex: Leo dies and reincarnates as the opposite sex. So does Cleo.
- Straw Misogynist: Several characters, including Leo see women as someone to be taken advantage of and used.
