Review of Kinsey (2004) by Bob L — 03 Aug 2010
Run of the mill biopic about a revolutionary doctor. Considering the subject matter, the times it was set in, and the brilliant cast, this comes over just so-so. The script never gets exploitative about sex (which probably would have sold it better), and there are characters which could have been made more of, especially given the acting talent here, but they are never given enough screentime.
Even when the McCarthy trials scupper Kinseys budget, this seems just breezed over. Liam Neeson is left to carry the whole shebang, brilliantly portraying Kinseys semi autistic/ sociopathic approach to his work.
Laura Linney as his long suffering wife is the only other cast member given enough script to work with (his mother, Veronica Cartwright, is given just over 1 line!). Poor John Lithgow shines through as his puritan father, but even he is underused and Lynn Redgrave is only given a token part at the end.
A bit of a waste of talent, but an education in one of the turning points of social change.
This review of Kinsey (2004) was written by Bob L on 03 Aug 2010.
Kinsey has generally received positive reviews.
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