Prima o poi s...vengo!

When I first heard about this film, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. Sex and the movies have always had a bit of a rocky history, with some good results (Last Tango in Paris springs to mind) and quite a few bad ones (Anybody remember Casual Sex?). To be honest, I wasn't expecting the Oh in Ohio to be anything other than more of the same Hollywood piffle, featuring low-brow penis jokes (or, in this case I guess, vagina jokes) that predictably avoid any real thought into what fascinates us as a society about sex: The joys, the painful vulnerability, the almost magical awkwardness of it.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The Oh in Ohio has its share of both penis and vagina jokes, but they're all offered with a refreshingly non-puerile frankness. Very rarely has a film dealt with such a touchy subject with such aplomb, all the while avoiding the pitfalls that would make a film like this preachy, or exploitive, or boring. This is a film that's not afraid to say a lot of "dirty" words and put forth a lot of ideas that may make people uncomfortable. But the nice part is, it doesn't seem to care that it's doing it. It doesn't wave sex in the audience's face, saying "look how shocking this is," it just says what it has to say and leaves the audience to laugh, or squirm, or whatever.

The performances are probably the best thing about this film. Parker Posey, who we're used to seeing as the over-the-top characters in films like Best in Show, works well as the tentative "woman on a journey of self discovery". Paul Rudd plays his character lightly and likably, avoiding a lot of the pitfalls that plague men in this kind of film. Miranda Bailey's screechy, fun loving gal pal offers some of the funnier moments in the film, and Mischa Barton is sexily unassuming in her role (which could have, in my opinion, done with a little more meat).

But it's the chemistry between Posey and Danny Devito that really gets this film going. An unlikely pairing on the surface, they really do well together, with Devito offering a performance that is somewhat low-key, but utterly charming. There's a sincerity that comes through that made me want to smile, and frankly, to see more of him on screen.

There were a few moments where the comedy falls flat (at least for me), and some wondering where the characters are going during the course of the film. The direction seemed a little detached at times, particularly when dealing with a subject as intimate as it does.

All in all, The Oh in Ohio is what it is. It's not going to change the world of cinema... but then again, maybe it could: if more films were able to be as un-self conscious this one seems to be, maybe we could all start having fun with sex again, rather than layering it in fart jokes or squirreling it away in soulless pornography.

I would have assumed that "The Oh! in Ohio" was trying to be the Judd Apatow sex comedies for females, but this was released in 2006 just before the Apatow craze began. So now I'm not sure what they were trying to go for.

It's marketed as a comedy but it's more of a drama. The plot line is that Priscilla Chase (Parker Posey) and her husband (Paul Rudd) are in an unhappy marriage because she isn't able to climax. Along with "50 million other women who suffer from orgasmic dysfunction" as the film tells us.

The film moves forward with Posey trying to have an orgasm. I'm assuming these scenes were supposed to provide us laughs but they weren't very funny. The other half of the movie is Rudd living his depressed life as a biology teacher. Finally the film industry has figured out that occasionally there are teachers for subjects other than English, but unfortunately it's in this movie just so we can have him spout the names of some sex organ muscles. Paul Rudd is one of my favourite actors, but the story for his character is extremely poorly done. The humour is so low-key, that I view it more as a drama, so there is no pay-off for his poor character. I might even have to blame this film for Rudd being relegated to buddy comedies now.

There is a lot to not like in this film, but Posey does shine, and some of the "50 million women who suffer from orgasmic dysfunction" might enjoy "The Oh! in Ohio" but probably not many other people will.

I like it when movies don't treat sex too seriously. It's OK to laugh during love scenes. I applaud any attempt to bring truly "adult-themed" movies to the American audience. But, for some reason, I really wasn't amused by OH! In fact, I found myself frequently glancing at the clock; I barely made it through to the end of the DVD.

OH! was trying so hard (too hard) to be like Sex in the City, what with its jazz-lite music and an improbably sunny depiction of a big city (Cleveland instead of NY). But where Sex in the City was truly adult material treated in an adult manner, OH! seemed childish.

It felt like maybe it had a great original script that attracted talented actors, but then ended up watered down by the executives so that "it will play well to middle America." So instead of a true indie production that pushes boundaries, you get a watered-down, corporate friendly flick that's neither mainstream nor "edgy." Worst of both worlds.

Not sexy. Not funny. Not believable.

There are few redeeming aspects in this showcase of irresponsible, unmotivated filmmaking. The characters, dialog, and situations were nearly as uncomfortable and awkward as the premise of a woman trying to have an orgasm. I don't understand how a film mainly about sex can be so boring, slow, uninteresting and UN-sexy. The pacing is far too slow for what is supposed to be a fun, quirky film, and the editing is loose with some confusing cuts. The entire film felt unnatural, uncomfortable, and bored. A few plot points and lines of dialog were entirely confusing and unclear, and by the end of the film I felt lost. The student and Sherri characters were poorly written and poorly executed – they felt like characters in a book I was reading. They weren't dynamic and didn't feel truly alive and present. Their comments were unnatural and strange, and didn't fit in with the rest of the film. Also, a very confusing aspect of the film was the relationship between Priscilla and Wayne – I won't give everything away, but throughout the whole film I was confused about their past, present, and until the end, future.

So now you might be wondering about those redeeming qualities I mentioned earlier. Paul Rudd is an excellent actor, which somehow manages to show through in this film. However, his skill is weighed down, limited, and ultimately trapped and killed by the poor writing, directing, and overall execution of this story. Danny DeVito is the only thing that manages to rise above this snooze-fest to make it somewhat enjoyable. His character is developed, complex, motivated and real in a world of fake, tired, hollow shells of people. Overall though, this film is slow, barely able to capture and hold attention, and left no impact on my view of the world. I believe that each film is worth watching once – to watch this film again would be a waste of time.

I wanted to like this movie more than I did, but I just didn't. Some of the people at the SXSW fest really enjoyed it, but there was a large majority- such as myself- that almost walked out.

Parker Posey is, well- Parker Posey again. Sometimes I find her funny, but a lot of the time I find her shtick a little tedious, and where I really like her as a supporting player, when she's the lead I start to get a headache. Perhaps that's just me, but if you ever thought she may be a little over the top, this is not the film for you.

Paul Rudd is okay, but he has scenes with Micha Barton, who is to acting what wood is to forests, so there was no hope for those scenes.

The standout for me, surprisingly, was Danny DeVito. He brings a warmth and reality to a supporting role (clearly based on Wallace Shawns character in Annie Hall) that took me by surprise and made me remember why I love him so.

The film itself tries very hard to get noticed, sometimes in that puerile Farrely Brothers HEY LOOK AT ME! kind of way, which I'm sure my 14 year old nephew would enjoy. ("Hey, they're talking about SEX!! Wheeee!") but after a while it made me long for a comedy like, say, Annie Hall or Manhattan (am I dating myself?) where the people are adult and smart and interesting and attractive and don't try so hard to be funny, but just ARE funny.

I'd be interested to see this director/writers next film, hopefully they'll have a little more faith in themselves and a little less need to keep the volume so loud.