Review of A Little Sex (1982) by Phillie E — 20 Feb 2012

There's nothing harder to take that a romantic comedy centering around two very unlikable characters, and because of that, "A Little Sex" is one film that is pretty hard to take. You have Kate Capshaw on one hand, very appealing in her film debut. But on the other hand, her philandering husband played by Tim Matheson only considers sleeping around on her cheating after they tie the knot. He's a completely unsympathetic character, and you dislike her just because she comes off as a weak and helpless female. These people clearly should not be together and that's kind of the opposite of what you want in a film like this.

The script is very weak, and plays out like a made-for-television movie with enough juicy sex and bad language to earn an "R" rating. But those expecting a raunchy "Porky's"-style comedy will be just as disappointed as the rest of the audience. This is a lackluster picture in that department as well.

The only voice of reasoning worth listening to in the film comes in the form of Edward Herrman as Matheson's wise older brother. I'm not sure why all of his words of wisdom are dispensed at a zoo, but his performance gives the movie some much-needed weight. It would have been nice to see some sort of spark or chemistry between the two stars to give "A Little Sex" a little credibility. It's impossible to see what they see in each other, and that has all of the makings of a seriously dysfunctional romantic comedy. There's little reason to see this glorified Lifetime movie.