Review of Sex and Death 101 (2007) by Walter M — 05 Mar 2009
[font=Century Gothic]In "Sex and Death 101," fast food entrepreneur Roderick Blank(Simon Baker) is engaged to be married to Fiona Wormwood(Julie Bowen). All goes well until he receives an e-mail with a list of 101 women on it. Thinking about it, he recalls having had sex with the first 29 on the list, his fiancee being #29 which would make 72 women that he has yet to have sex with. He suspects the list is an elaborate prank until his bachelor party when he runs into #30 - Carlotta Valdes(Jessica Kiper). After developing cold feet, second thoughts and an existential crisis, he calls off the wedding which gives him free time to pursue #31 - Cynthia Rose(Sophie Monk), a centerfold who is appearing at a local comic book store.(Apparently I go to the wrong comic book stores.) Meanwhile, Death Nell(Winona Rider) is racking up an impressive body count of comatose men...[/font].
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[font=Century Gothic]"Sex and Death 101" is a diverting and offbeat comedy about romantic destiny that handles the topic a bit better than the overrated "Groundhog Day." The movie is clever, not crude or cruel, especially towards the female characters but I still would have liked more time given to Nell's story which is just as interesting as Rod's, if not more so. In fact, Rod ends up being the brunt of more jokes than anybody else.(However, the dark room gag is so old it reeks.) The ending is logical, even if it might seem confusing at first, especially after an Almodovar homage I should have seen coming. [/font].
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[font=Century Gothic]Whereas on the surface the premise might seem sexist, there are some interesting questions posed concerning Rod's course of action which is spurred on by his being something of a shallow cad.(Well, at least he uses a condom.)The moral of the story being to never trust in love at first sight. As in real life, the most enjoyable part of romance is getting to know the other person, especially if it involves a comparison of favorite Vonnegut novels. And Simon Baker is handsome enough that it is not that hard to imagine women throwing themselves at him which might explain the off the wall reference to "Diamonds Are Forever" and the quick reference to Fellini.[/font].
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This review of Sex and Death 101 (2007) was written by Walter M on 05 Mar 2009.
Sex and Death 101 has generally received mixed reviews.
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