When Nudity Is Gratuitous

Regarding the movie review for “Wild Things” (March 20) by Jack Mathews.

Could someone, Mr. Mathews maybe, please explain to me why Kevin Bacon’s frontal nudity in the movie “Wild Things” should be considered “the most gratuitous male frontal nude scene in a major studio movie,” while the previous paragraph states that Denise Richard’s nudity during a menage a trois scene is “impressive?”

All nudity, male or female, purely for the sake of titillation is gratuitous, Mr. Mathews. I find it interesting that The Times’ guideline for the movie mentions only Mr. Bacon’s nudity as gratuitous, but I guess that just goes to show that female nudity in movies has come to be commonplace and expected. I read other reviews about “Wild Things” and none of them mentions Mr. Bacon’s nudity. Does Mr. Mathews feel uncomfortable with such scenes? If so, I can’t say I have any sympathy. I have been a movie enthusiast for most of my 27 years, and for as long as I can remember it has always been the female nudity that has been gratuitous.

JENNIFER KELLER

Huntington Beach