Review of sex, lies, and videotape (1989) by Diego T — 19 Feb 2014

Let's take a quick break in the awful movies this week to review something that's legitimately good. Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderberg's indie debut feature, is a wonderfully assured, well-scripted, and involving drama that represents just how effectively one can make a film on a minimal budget. This movie has gotten widespread critical acclaim for its simplicity and study of human sexuality, and although I'd call it somewhat overrated (its aim far surpasses its grasp in some respects), it's still an entertaining and thought-provoking film that deserves its place at the height of Soderberg's career.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape stars Andie MacDowell as Ann, a suburban housewife who "Just really isn't that into sex." God, this movie must have been terrifying for husbands who suddenly realized that all their worst fears about their wives were true. Anyway, her husband (Peter Gallagher) is cheating on her with her sister Cynthia, so everything starts out already wrapped up in a ticking time bomb of love-triangle explosiveness. And not the kind of love triangles in The Hunger Lames or The Host... this one is actually good. The balance has held out for some time, but all that changes when a mysterious stranger named Graham (:D), played by James Spader, shows up in town with a fuckload of videotapes depicting women confessing their sexual secrets.

If nothing else, this film delivers on its title, bringing us sex, lies, and plenty of videotape. The characters bounce off each other effortlessly, raising the tension with every line they speak and consistently giving great insight into the topics they discuss, which range from adultery to erectile dysfunction (okay, not a very wide range of topics). It may not shed any new light on the subject covered, but it does shed some light on the subjects covering them (see what I did there?). The characters undergo massive transformations, with Ann becoming more free and open about herself after discovering someone who will actually listen to her, Cynthia understanding that meaningless sex does not drive the world, and the husband figuring out that he is a fucking arrogant fucking asshole fuckface. Spader's character, however, is the most intriguing. He clearly has a tortured past, but the way he moves through the world after his scarring experience is undeniably spellbinding. It's always cool when a character interacts so fluidly and passively with the people around him, and that's part of what makes this character great.

But past all the character development, Sex, Lies, and Videotape has a central thesis that ranks as one of the most heartening (no offense Leo) themes ever put to film. Spader's character does have a sense of enlightenment about him, but all he really does is make videos of women talking about sex. What does he know that we don't? Well, it's that a lot of the time, conversation can be more intimate than sex. When Ann asks him "Is that how you get off?" and he responds with a nonchalant "Yeah," the audience starts to realize this as well. Spader is unable to satisfy himself (a-hem) in the usual manner (a-hem again), and therefore has undergone a kind of metamorphosis into both a brilliant conversationalist and a creepy motherfucker. Altogether, the movie hearkens back to the days of Hollywood when dialogue could be considered "erotic," and although the movie has far more intelligence than heart (no offense Leo), it doesn't take itself as exhaustingly seriously as shitfests like Pi.

Final Score for Sex, Lies, and Videotape: 8/10 stars. Although parts of the story aren't too original, the addition of the videotapes turns what could have been a very bland story into something far more subversive. This is an expertly crafted movie all around, featuring masterfully restrained yet jaw-dropping performances from the two leading women and a suitably creepy turn by James Spader. The movie does seem to fake its achievements a lot more than it actually meets them, but calling a movie like this "overrated" feels wrong. No, it doesn't quite deserve a 98%. But I'm pleased that so many people recognize it for the twisted masterwork it is.