sex, lies, and videotape (1989)

05Feb07

sex, lies, and videotape (1989)

Netflix Synopsis: Director Steven Soderbergh’s voyeuristic indie film paints an intense, intimate portrait of discord among a frigid housewife (Andie MacDowell), her philandering husband (Peter Gallagher), her adulterous sibling (Laura San Giacomo) and an out-of-towner (James Spader). Spader arrives with a trunk load of videotapes — interviews with women he’s known confessing their sexual secrets — and his presence gradually turns the quartet’s lives inside out.

Review: Perhaps this touted indie hasn’t withstood the test of time as well as other movies have. I understand (or think I understand) the dilemma of James Spader’s character, who is impotent, and can only have that type of intimate relationship with women by videotaping their confessionals in a kind of interviewer-interviewee setup after which he watches them alone. I understand his loneliness and his estrangement from normal relationships, but I’m not so sure what the purpose of the affair between Laura San Giacamo’s character and Peter Gallagher’s character served. Clearly, there is a progressive character arc for both of them as they both come to their own realizations by the end of the movie, but I don’t know if the affair was a necessary part to carry out that development. It seemed a bit superfluous.

The movie does have a satisfactory resolution which results from the innocent, virtuous if not frigid character of Andie McDowell turning the camcorder on Spader. In fact, the movie really picks up steam, gels and becomes pretty coherent after Gallagher’s character forces himself into Spader’s house, grabs the tape of his wife (Andie MacDowell) and watches it.

The performances by all four are great, though Spader’s and San Giacomo’s really stand out as the difficult, nuanced roles.
If you’re worried about graphic sex scenes etc., don’t be. This film, considered groundbreaking at the time, doesn’t show anything graphic and leaves it to the viewers to read between the lines, or the scenes rather.

Rating:

Submitted by: Audrey 2/5/2007

Filed under: Reviews   |  Leave a Comment