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 Let's talk about sex... Nov 05, 2008
One of the smartest and all around cleverest films I've had the pleasure of ever seeing; `Sex, Lies and Videotape' is a very moving and poignant study of the effect that sex has on our lives. Taking four individuals and placing them under scrutiny, Soderbergh's masterpiece single-handedly does what so many have attempted to do in the past; take sex out of the bedroom and place it in the living-room, where we all are forced to confront it.
Be aware though, despite the films rather graphic subject, the content here within is no where near as graphic as one might expect it to be. This is not an `adult film' but a study of adults; there is a difference.
The film tells the story of unhappily married couple Ann and John Mullany. In the opening scene we hear Ann telling her therapist that she believes John is having an affair because he no longer longs to touch her. She has found herself distanced from him and she wonders who he is sleeping with. The answer is Cynthia, Ann's flirtatious sister. Cynthia and John have been sleeping with one another for some time now, and Ann has only a suspicion but no hard evidence. The Graham walks into their lives. Graham is John's old college roommate who stops by for an extended visit. He brings with him his fetesh; videotape.
Not what you think.
Graham, being impotent, likes to videotape women talking about their fantasies and desires. He records their most intimate of secrets and uses them later for his own fantasies. The videotapes are a mask to hide the pain of his own failures with women, a way for him to stay guarded because commitment is something that terrifies him. The videotape is a way for Graham to experience love and lust without ever having to give of himself and so he exploits those he knows in an attempt to salvage the humanity he has left in himself. He is scorned and guilty and ashamed, and this plays heavily into why he feels it necessary to restrict himself of a woman's touch and rely wholly on the fantasies they cement for him on film.
This movie is so much deeper than `sex', believe me.
The film is elevated by some very strong performances; most notably by the female portion of the cast. Laura San Giacomo is astonishing as the deliciously despicable Cynthia. She oozes forth with this creamy seduction that captures her characters personality disorders marvelously. Andie MacDowell has found the perfect film for her form of acting. I said this before with `Four Weddings and a Funeral', where she was perfectly cast as the uninteresting girl you can't help but find interesting. MacDowell is one of those actresses who rarely excites you; but here she manages to use that sullen demeanor to create a woman ravaged by an unidentifiable pain. She doesn't understand why she feels so lost and so distant and it haunts her, and she bleeds that through with each passing scene. James Spader is effectively reserved, as he is almost always, and Peter Gallagher manages not to disgust me (I really dislike this guy for the most part) but as a whole this movie belongs to the women.
In the end I must recommend this movie. Sure, it is a little rough in some scenes so don't expect a PG film here; there is a rating system for a reason, but if you can appreciate film as an art form then you will find much to appreciate here. This is a thinking mans film for it exposes the highs and low of America's favorite pastime (okay, humanities favorite pastime) allowing us to finally understand why this `activity' is so vitally important.
Great film Oct 16, 2008
Late in the movie, a character asks:
"What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to recount all the points in my life leading up to this moment, and then hope that it's coherent; that it makes some sort of sense to you. It doesn't make any sense to me. You know, I was there. And I don't have the slightest idea who I am. And I'm supposed to be able to explain it to you..."
The film believes that open, sincere discussion can make us aware of the solutions to most of our lives' problems. But it's not necessarily something a therapist or even a husband and wife can always accomplish. Effective discussion probes into the depths of our minds. Effective discussion finds a way underneath the surface of our routine, everyday thoughts; reaches deep into our memories; and illuminates those choices/values that matter most, that best define who we are.
The topic the film talks most about is sex, as you probably guessed. But it goes deeper than that, too, into how we define ourselves, how we live our lives.
The film is enormously ambitious, and succeeds beautifully.
I will watch this one many more times.
 A Strange Movie Sep 15, 2008
While I am always amazed by Spader, this is a really strange movie. It is really more psychological than graphic and you sort of lose the point of the whole thing. It was like he would rather hear someone talk about it than DO it, which I really don't understand but guess different strokes... HB
Great Movie! Jul 07, 2008
This is definitely a classic movie. It is wonderful and introduced Steven Sodenburgh, Neil LaBute, James Spader and Andie MacDowell to the world. The story is involves a troubled married couple, a sister who is sleeping with her sister's husband, and a strange man who enters the picture. The man had trouble in love in high school and never got over it. He has grown into a man who masturbates to video interviews with women about sex. He can't have sex with another person. This strange man, played by James Spader, provides a catalyst for all these lives to change.
I enjoyed it while I was watching it but... Jul 03, 2008
The lives of John (Peter Gallagher) and Ann (Andie MacDowell), a young married couple, and Ann's sister, Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo), are forever changed when John's school friend, Graham (James Spader), an impotent man who gets off by video taping women talking about sex, comes to visit.
I really enjoyed watching "Sex, Lies and Videotape" while I was watching it. I sat down with the intention of only watching the first half hour and ended up watching it all in one sitting because I just couldn't bring myself to press stop. I really wanted to know what would happen next, particularly as the film neared its end, and I really enjoyed watching all of the actors involved, who are all excellent, but especially James Spader, who is wonderfully creepy, and Andie MacDowell (whom I usually dislike intensely), as the "nice" sister. However, although all of the individual scenes within the film were brilliant, when I got to the end, I just felt that the whole film was rather pointless and I ended up walking away feeling disappointed. For me, the ending just wasn't strong enough to live up to the promise of the earlier scenes. The revelations weren't big enough, and the ending wasn't final enough.
I am glad that I saw this film, as I have wondered about it for as long as I can remember, and I would probably watch it again, just to see James Spader, but I don't think it's as great a film as other critics would have you believe.
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