Sex, Lies, and Videotape
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Movie Reviews of Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Movie Review: Provocative and intense film about intimacy
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not really a film about sex. It's about intimacy, which can be physically sexual or not. It's about the possibility of connection, of making contact, and of taking responsibility for the impact of one's life upon another. Mere "sex" becomes a surrogate for intimacy, what we search for when we are unable to be honest with ourselves and our significant others and acknowledge that our self is bound up with these others. Mere "sex" - as in the "casual" fling John carries on with his wife Ann's sister - is then a lie, in a double sense: it has him cheating on his wife, and it manifests his refusal to admit the manifest truth that his desires, his needs, are bound up with those of others.
Graham (in a brilliant performance by James Spader), has organized his life precisely to avoid the lie that John embraces. He is brutally honest with others, but to avoid any hint of deception he also refuses to be intimate with anyone. He uses the video camera as a distancing technique, creating an objective filter between himself and the women in his life - pitting them as objects of study rather than subjects in a dynamic relationship, whose parameters he could not ultimately control. Of course, his little experiment doesn't work out as he plans, and everyone in his life is affected. The story is simple and direct, the dialogue pitch perfect, the acting top notch, and the direction quite appropriate. One of my favorite films, and certainly deserving of its status as one of the most important American independent films. I also found the commentary track, in which Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men) interviews director Steven Soderbergh, to be quite fascinating. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Interesting
Summary: 5 Stars
I already knew Steven Soderbergh was a talented director, but I'd never seen a film that he had written. This movie, his first, is written and directed by the Oscar winner (Best Director, 'Traffic') and it's one of my favorite movies by him. I think it's better than both Traffic and Erin Brockovich. The only Soderbergh film I've seen that I like more is Out of Sight. This movie is funny, interesting, intriguing, and very entertaining. I thought there was one downside to the movie...No nudity. The whole time I was watching this movie, everytime Laura San Giacomo was onscreen I was thinking "Take off your shirt." But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The movie stars Peter Gallagher ("American Beauty") and Andie McDowell ("Michael") as a married couple John and Ann. Ann is a stay at home wife, who secretly attends therapy sessions where she confesses her relationship with John isn't much and that they don't have sex. Meanwhile, John (a lawyer) is having sex with Ann's sister Cynthia (Giacomo). At the same time, an old friend of John's named Graham (James Spader in one of his best performances) arrives at their house to stay for a few days until he gets on his feet. Ann is drawn to Graham and finds him interesting, but her opinion is changed when she finds out that Graham interviews woman and asks them personal questions about their sex lives while filming the entire thing. After hearing about this, however, Cynthia takes an interest in Graham. It's basically just one big love triangle. But, this movie is truly a fantastic and extremely interesting film. Soderbergh brings up really interesting points about everything from love to sex to marriage to impotency. The score by Cliff Martinez also helps to move the film along perfectly.
GRADE: A-
Movie Review: sex, lies, and videotape on DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
"sex,lies, and videotape" is a well-crafted little gem about adultery, sexual perversion, and the value of honesty with oneself. This film tells the story of Graham (James Spader), a minimalist anti-yuppi, who goes back to his home town and stays with his long lost college buddy John (Peter Gallagher) who has become a lawyer and Ann (Ande MacDowell) his eccentric but conservative wife. John is a bit repelled by Graham's free-spirited honesty and liberalism, but it is intruiging to Ann... until Graham reveals to her that he is more-or-less impotent, and tapes women talking about sex to get off. John is having an affair with Ann's sister Cynthia (Laura San Giamoco) a sexually aggresive bartender, who is informed of Graham's indulgent practice and takes part in a "taping", which puts all four characters in a landslide of events. Ingeneously crafted by first-time director Steven Soderberg, this film was the sleeper hit of 1989, and probably the year's best film too. The performances are superb all around, and are backed by an excellent script. Though not a highly technical film, this film has some neat camera tricks to offer.The DVD of "sex, lies, and video" has only one extra feature worth metioning besides the theatrical trailer. That is the feature length commentary by the film's director Steven Soderberg, who is interviewed during the film by Niel LaBute, the director of "In the Company of Men". Better than most commentaries, the director discusses the preproduction of the film and his experience with the actors, rather than the technical aspects.
This DVD is a great addition to anyone's video library.
Movie Review: "Did anybody touch anybody"
Summary: 5 Stars
I keep thinking about Hitchcock's Notorious everytime I watch Sex, Lies & Videotape. With a different plot and genre, both masterful films tell the story of all the lies that veil people from the truth. Visually, they give us clues or icons. A key is not just a key, and a houseplant is not just a houseplant. The line about villains being the heroes in their own imagination could easily explain the thrust of not just the cheating husband but even the more morally appealing characters. The trick is how the drama changes or doesn't change people.
Stylistically, it is very sparse but frugal. The cast and cameras make the most of what they have. Gallagher spins John's wedding ring and wears a queen's ivy. McDowell blushes and laughs as Ann. Spader lays Graham open to disarming vulnerability. San Giancomo asserts Cynthia's chin and takes up another challenge in her rivalry with her sister, Soderbergh?s camera doesn't waste any of it. McDowell and San Giancomo act like sisters. Even the videocamera and television take on semblance of character. (Compare Hitchcock?s use of doors dramatically shutting and the video ending in tv snow. It is the same finality.) The barfly cracks me up with his improvised drunken wooing. It is welcome comic relief and accents a very subtle charm in the drama and comedy bundled together.
In his commentary with a fellow director on this DVD, Soderbergh makes all sorts of references to other filmmakers. I was disappointed, at first, that he didn't mention Notorious but reveled that we viewers bring something to the to the table on our own. Film may seem like a passive media, but it ain't.
Movie Review: A movie that touches the soul and frees the mind
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe that it took me this long to watch this masterpiece of a movie. Despite the title, there's nothing raunchy about it, instead we are rewarded with perceptive insight into the lives of the main characters. James Spader, who also won the Best Actor Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance in this movie portrays Graham, the long-lost pal of Peter Gallagher's John, a lawyer married to Ann [Andie MacDowell] who seems like a lost soul searching for something. Ann, who at first appears uptight and almost sexless, is drawn to Graham and both share a very palbable on-screen chemistry.
Ann and John's marriage seems idyllic on the surface, but is plagued by problems. Ann is not interested in sex, and John has lots of illicit sex with Ann's sister, a spitfire named Cynthia [Laura San Giacomo]. The characters are well-cast, each bringing a certain level of depth to his/her character and especialyl so with Spader's performance, as the subtle and unassuming, yet mentally tortured Graham.
Graham's role here is very significant in impacting upon and acting as a catalyst in the transformation of the other characters. He makes videotapes of women's sexual confessions, and the impact this has upon Ann and Cynthia is crucial to the plot.
Steven Soderbergh does an excellent job directing, drawing out nuanced performances from his cast, and the result is truly a wrenching look at human relationships. Highly recommended!