Review of sex, lies, and videotape (1989) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

What was it like?

It's not a Hitchcock film, but it's definitely one that flows in the same veins as a great Hitchcock flick.

The Story: A voyeuristic man videotapes women talking about sex, and another man is cheating on his wife with her sister. That's pretty much all there is to the story, it's not really complex, but that's what makes this film so great. It's got some great cinematography, and moves at a very quick pace as each characters life becomes intertwined. My biggest problem with the film is that there's really not a whole lot that happens, you get to the end, and it feels almost like you haven't seen all there is to see. This could easily be condensed into an episode of an hour long television drama.

The Cast: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo...I'm not sure why, but James Spader seems to get a lot of perversed roles. He plays the perfect voyeur as the man who videotapes women talking about sex, the picture perfect Hitchcock character. Along with Spader, we see yet another great character that would make Hitchcock proud. Andie MacDowell as Ann, the sexually repressed housewife, up to her head in denial. She's perfectly nervous and her character while, maybe not that interesting, will establish a good solid connection with the viewer early on in the film. Peter Gallagher is the lawyer, the cheating husband that you just can't help but hate. He gives a great, intense performance here and you won't soon forget him. Laura San Giacomo, is Ann's sister. She's a wicked character, as she seems so honestly cruel and cold. Great performances from everyone in the cast.

One to Five Scale: 4.

Great character development, powerful performances, and an interesting story make this one a must see for any fan of drama.

Tyler.