Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)

Today's film is Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which sounds exciting until you realize none of the characters have personalities.

Ann, the main character, has no job and no hobbies.  She is cold and refuses to sleep with her own husband.  Her husband John (the dad on the O.C.)  is sleeping with her own sister behind her back.  Her husband's old friend, Graham, comes to town.  Graham has an unusual hobby.

So, Graham has this problem where he can't get it up in front of someone, so he videotapes interviews of a sexual nature with women.  Later, he jacks off while watching the interviews.  He keeps all of these videos next to the tv.  There is a lot of them.  Ann comes over to his house and notices them.


Ann points to the videotapes and asks, "What are these?"

Videotapes obviously.  Graham answers they're his personal project.

"What kind of personal project?"

This isn't 20 questions you dumb bitch.

"Who's Donna? It says Donna on the videotape."

It's probably my mom. She would have been 27 in 1989.

"Donna is a girl I knew in Florida," Graham answers.

Oh fuck it is my mom.

I do not like the idea of a man whacking it to an interview with my mom.



No stop it!

So, we have two people who refuse to have normal intercourse for two different reason.  So, we already know they're going to get together.  Meanwhile, her husband is still seeing his sister-in-law.  The sister-in-law, Cynthia, is a free-spirited sexual being, the opposite of her sister.  I don't respect her for sleeping with her sister's husband, but I took a picture of the screen because her makeup game is totally on point.


I wondered why Graham doesn't sleep with people and resorts to videotapes.  I have two theories.  One is that he has a personality disorder and cannot relate to people. He claims he is a pathological liar as well. Another is that he is a poor performer.  Remember that he dated an Elizabeth before he came to town.  Maybe he is really bad at sex and saves himself embarrassment by not going out with anyone.  It sounds like a lonely life.  Cynthia is the first one to interview with Graham.  It is very erotic as we would expect it.  Later, Ann also interviews with Graham, too.  Her husband finds out about it and gets really angry.

The film ends with the cheating husband getting his comeuppance.  He is fired due to constantly cancelling meetings (to cheat with his sister-in-law during office hours) and Ann leaves him for Graham.  The problem is I don't remember the ending at all.  The film takes place in Baton Rouge and everything about the film is quiet.  There's hardly any music, no liveliness, nothing.  The people and area of Baton Rouge are anything but quiet.  It's erotic, but doesn't hold enough interest to watch again.  I will give it a 5/10.

4 comments:

  1. The bit about your mom made me laugh. Thanks for that.

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  2. This movie made quite a stir when it was released. It hasn't held up well, and yeah, what a bunch of characterless characters! It wouldn't be on 1001 list.

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  3. Wait, it is on the 1001 list? I don't understand.

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