Available at Amazon.com |
Sex and Death 101 is at it’s heart a romantic comedy, except unlike most romantic comedies, it’s actually funny. I know this is a difficult concept to wrap your head around, but if you give it a shot you’ll probably agree.
This movie isn’t like other movies with an original and well written script, although there are a lot of pieces taken from other movies. Simon Baker plays a successful businessman who is finally ready to settle down with his bride to be. When much to his surprise, he receives a mystery e-mail from a machine that knows everything that is called the oracle, which obviously brings up the Matrix. The e-mail he receives is a list of every woman he’s had sex with, and everyone woman he is going to have sex with. You will definitely enjoy jav censored porn. At first this doesn’t phase him, then he realizes his bride to be is number 29 on a list of 101. His first reaction is that it’s a prank being played by his friends for his bachelor party, but after the next name on his list slips and falls on his member, he starts to take the list seriously.
This new found “embarrassment of bitches” leads him to break up with his fiancee and start his quest to find the next name on the list. As he’s going through the list, the movie hits on fantasies held by many guys. And some not held by many guys. From the lesbian triangle, to the school girl, to the guy, to many others.
As he’s working his way through the list, Winona Ryder is working her way through the male population putting men in comas. The two are obviously working in each other’s direction, which gives most of the drama in the last 1/4 of the movie.
The acting is good throughout the movie. Ryder isn’t the typical femme fatale, but comes off as more a regular woman who’s had enough. It actually works well. I’m not sure Baker even acted in this movie. His character basically walks around knowing that if the name is one the list, he’s sleeping with that person. I can’t imagine that’s much different from his actual life, besides the fact that he probably doesn’t have a list and just gets any girl he wants. Jerk. Patton Oswalt is brilliant in his role. He is one of the watchers of the oracle-esque machine. And he’s obviously the one watcher who is a little different, and that’s shown as soon as the watchers are introduced to Baker, “I’m Alpha, that’s Beta, and he’s Fred.” And Oswalt is constantly funny. He doesn’t have a huge part, but when he’s on screen, he’s making you laugh.
The music is pretty good, though nothing outstanding. If you watch the director’s commentary, or read this review for that matter, you learn they only had a 35,000 dollar music budget so they basically had to say “If you’ve heard of the band, we couldn’t afford them.” 35K is no chump change, but apparently musicians are greedy or something.
Editing and camera work are both fine, pretty much what you’d expect from a some what well funded movie.
Sex and Death 101 is presented in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
Extras include commentary with writer/director Daniel Waters, a behind the scenes look at the writing process and making of the movie called “101 Perversions” that lasts about 17 minutes, it’s interesting, but nothing amazing. There are also previews for Hollywood Residential which is a show on Starz, and Heathers which was written by the same guy who wrote and directed Sex and Death 101.
Sex and Death 101 is not your typical Romantic Comedy, and that’s a good thing from my point of view. This is a very good movie with some great jokes, some gross moments and makes you wonder how far the movie is really willing to go. There’s some nudity, but it’s done nicely and doesn’t come off as gratuitous at all. This is a good movie, and definitely something to pick up.
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Anchor Bay Presents Sex and Death 101. Written and directed by Daniel Waters. Starring Simon Baker, Winona Ryder, and Patton Oswalt. Running time: 117 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: July 1st, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.