Kinsey
by Bill Condon
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chris O'Donnell, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy HuttonDirector: Bill Condon
Brand: NEESON,LIAM
Writer: Bill Condon
Producer: Adam Shulman
Producer: Bobby Rock
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Gail Mutrux
Producer: Joel Hatch
Producer: Kirk D'Amico
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 118 minutes
Published: 2005-05-01
DVD Release Date: 2005-05-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Kinsey
Movie Review: An eyebrow-raising, head turning film that will leave you speechless...
Summary: 5 Stars
It's funny to me that in the year that has been labeled `the year of the biopic' it was the better of them all that was shunned by Oscar. Sure, `Kinsey' is a very blunt and somewhat offensive biopic, but it is one of the better crafted and superbly constructed of the many that were dropped on us in 2004. It is superior to `Finding Neverland' in the acting department; it is superior to `The Aviator' is its ability to grasp the sense of character and it is superior to `Ray' in its technical construction, allowing the audience to delve into Alfred Kinsey without hesitation. The three aforementioned films all received a Best Picture nomination at the 2004 Oscars, and while I can't say that I would have nominated any of these films in that category (such a strong year fro film) I can honestly say that `Kinsey' is the better film overall*.
The film tells the story of Alfred Kinsey, a professor who indulged his own sensual cravings by creating a study of human sensuality (it's really hard to write a review about this film when the most harmless of descriptive words can get your review banned). His strict religious parents are much apposed to his lifestyle but this doesn't stop him from exploring a subject that so many see as taboo. Enlisting the help of some eager young students (not to mention his understanding yet suppressed wife Clara) Kinsey interviews thousands of men and women for his study, asking very frank yet very pertinent questions.
The film is much more than a film about sensuality, it is a film about humanity and the blinders that some of us put up in order to justify our passions. As Kinsey pushes forward with his study he begins to push those around him away as the emotionally destructive course they set for themselves begins to crush in around them. Kinsey finds himself unaffected by the emotional weight, but he cannot help but be affected by the distance between himself and lovers.
Liam Neeson is outstanding as Kinsey, devouring whole this mans every inhibition. He delivers one of the strongest performances of the year, so strong that it baffles me Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and especially Johnny Depp received Oscar nominations over Neeson. His sincerity and honesty is seen all over his face as the weight of his project begins to sink in. Laura Linney (the sole Oscar nominee in the bunch) is very good here, if not a bit overrated. I hate saying this, because she is lovely, but she is not the films standout. She delivers a relatable and likable performance, but she tends to float out of focus when sharing the screen with the films other stars. Chris O'Donnell actually turns out a very good performance, as does John Lithgow (who just shines with all sorts of blessed light) who portrays Alfred's father with tremendous power. Oliver Platt and Tim Curry and Timothy Hutton all take their limited roles and make them bigger than they really are...
...but I want to take a few minutes to bask in the greatness that is Peter Sarsgaard. I mean, seriously, this young man may be the actor of our generation. Every performance he has delivered has been strong and admirable, and yet the Academy still insists on snubbing him (from `Boys Don't Cry' to `Shattered Glass' to `Kinsey' and `Jarhead' this young man should be a four time nominee at this point). His portrayal of Kinsey's lapdog Clyde is phenomenal. His lusting for Kinsey is desirable and believable; his tenderness as a friend and lover is endearing and his frustrated feeling of betrayal is heartbreaking. He delivers such a well rounded and grounded performance that I am ashamed he was snubbed come Oscar time.
And then there is his "would you like to?" line to Kinsey in the hotel room; the single greatest line reading of the entire year. That scene took my breath away, and that is not too easy to do.
`Kinsey' is a very blunt film. There are a lot of conversations and graphic depictions that may turn some heads and leave you feeling a little offended (there is one particular interview, one for which Wardell actually gets up and leaves, that left me feeling quite uneasy). If you can look past the films in-your-face qualities though, you can see the beauty that lies within each frame. This is one of those biopic's that gets it all right and delivers a truly satisfying and memorable movie experience.
*Looking back over my reviews I noticed that I gave some pretty high ratings to the three Oscar nominated biopic's, none of which really deserved the love I showered on them. I gave `Finding Neverland' an A, which is quite extreme. I am not really hating myself for it (it is a children's biopic, and a very sweet family film) but it doesn't deserve five stars, maybe four would be better. I gave both `Ray' and `The Aviator' four stars, and both probably deserve three, especially `Ray' which only gets worse every time I see it. I'd give `The Aviator' a low B, so it keeps its four stars, and `Ray' a C, so I'd like to drop the rating to three stars. I can't, but I'd like to.
Summary of Kinsey
Liam Neeson stars as Alfred Kinsey, a man driven by scientific passion and personal demons to investigate the elusive mystery of human sexuality. Laura Linney garnered a Best Actress OscarÂ(r) nomination for her compelling performance as KinseyÃ"â??s free-thinking wife. This provocative drama dares to lift the veil of shame from a society in which sex was hidden, knowledge was dangerous and talking about it was the ultimate taboo.One of the best films of 2004, Kinsey pays tribute to the flawed but honorable man who revolutionized our understanding of human sexuality. As played by Liam Neeson in writer-director Bill Condon's excellent film biography, Indiana University researcher Alfred Kinsey was so consumed by statistical measurements of human sexual activity that he almost completely overlooked the substantial role of emotions and their effect on human behavior. This made him an ideal researcher and science celebrity who revealed that sexual behaviors previously considered deviant and even harmful (homosexuality, oral sex, etc.) are in fact common and essentially normal in the realm of human experience, but whose obsession with scientific method frequently placed him at odds with his understanding wife (superbly played by Laura Linney) and research assistants. In presenting Kinsey as a driven social misfit, Condon's film gives Neeson one of his finest roles while revealing the depth of Kinsey's own humanity, and the incalculable benefit his research had on our collective sexual enlightenment. With humor, charm, and intelligence, Kinsey shines a light where darkness once prevailed. --Jeff Shannon
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