If you need motivation to go to the gym, simply watch Chloe Fineman’s strip scene in Summer of 69, the new raunchy comedy that began streaming on Hulu today. Because the Saturday Night Live star’s Summer of 69 striptease is one of the most impressive—and sexy—feats of athletic abilities I’ve ever witnessed.
Directed by Jillian Bell, with a screenplay co-written by Bell, Liz Nico, and Jules Byrne, Summer of 69 is the latest teen comedy from American High, the film production company that bought a defunct New York-based high school in 2017, and has been churning out high school comedies ever since. Sam Morelos stars as Abby Flores, an awkward high school senior who hires an exotic dancer (Fineman) to help her seduce her crush, Max (Matt Cornett) before graduation. Abby’s heard through the grapevine that Max loves to 69—yes, the sex position—but there’s just one problem: Abby’s a virgin. She goes looking for guidance, and she finds it when she walks into her town’s local strip club. Fineman’s character, whose strip name is Santa Monica takes the stage, and begins to move. And I mean, really move.
Set to the iconic 2006 Peaches rock anthem “Boys Wanna Be Her,” Fineman’s routine features some classic pole-dancing moves. Fineman, in a skimpy metallic bikini and six-inch platform stilettos, commands the stage with complete self-assurance. Bathed in cherry red light—possibly in reference to the original Peaches music video—the SNL star works the pole like a pro, writhing her body up, down, and around it. She drops it down and back up again, lightning fast, like she’s never skipped a leg day in her life.
Perhaps the most impressive move of the dance is when Fineman ever-so-slow bends over backward, sinking her body lower and lower until she slides onto the floor. In six-inch heels. I mean, the flexibility! The balance! The total control of her core muscles! I’m getting sore just watching her.
Fineman doesn’t slow down even when she’s on the floor. She thrusts and gyrates her hips into the air, before popping up and working that pole yet again. For the grand finale, Fineman lowers herself into the splits, and humps the floor. And like a true performer, she does it all with a smile.
Abby, the high school virgin, watches this entire display with wide eyes. Her character sums it up best when she says, “The first time you see someone that comfortable in their own skin, it’s almost jarring.”
In case you’re wondering, yes, that really is Fineman doing those moves. In a recent interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, Fineman said she was inspired by a clip of Mikey Madison—who trained to play a pole dancer for Anora—to also learn the craft of erotic dance.
“I have no upper body strength, so I got really good at floor,” Fineman told Barrymore. “Like a sexy push-up.”
After giving Barrymore a quick demonstration, Fineman also added that her pole work-outs fixed her back. “I have had back pain for forever, and the months I spent on the pole, my back has never felt better.”
Hats off to Fineman’s back and the rest of her body. She killed it.