Review of Sex and Death 101 (2007) by Tom J — 09 Jul 2008
This movie reunites Daniel Waters and Winona Ryder, who were last together in the brilliant black comedy Heathers. So while this movie comes with a pedigree, it is a whole different breed of dog than Heathers.
The movie is billed as an adult sex comedy, and indeed it takes on weightier isues than ones aimed at the17-year-old maie crotch. This deals with some interesting questions of fate and destiny and whether one wants to know the future.
Most of the characters in this movie receive the date of when they are going to die. Mr. Blank(Simon Baker), on the other hand, gets a list of the 101 women he has or will have sex with. He is on 29. Initially he finds it exhilarating he can satisfy common male fantasies: the nurse, the centerfold, the two lesbians, a bus load of catholic school girls in uniform (hey, these aren't my fantasies!).
But after awhile he realizes that there is no real joy or conquest in simply reading name tags for your next interlude. But while the movie often tries to stay high brow, it also gets quite lowbrow like him accidently having sex with the centerfold's mother.
The movie also sets up an intriguing end possibility when the last name on the list is a woman known as Death Nell (Winona Ryder) because she puts men who treat women shabbily in a coma. However, just when the director could say something meaningful, he tacks on a hokey ending.
This is a wildly uneven movie that may make you think in parts and other parts makes you think you are watching a slightly more adult version of American Pie.
This review of Sex and Death 101 (2007) was written by Tom J on 09 Jul 2008.
Sex and Death 101 has generally received mixed reviews.
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