Sex Ed

I started out, thoroughly enjoying this movie. Admittedly, I was a bit bowled over by the movie being made in my hometown, and the novelty of not only recognizing all of the locations they filmed, but then actually seeing those locations get their time to shine as part of the plot (especially The Hub, which is one of the coolest dive-bars in town - not remotely as 'bright' as the film portrayed it, but still fun, nonetheless). So the movie started out great for me. I was amused by things like 'cock bagel' and basically everything involving Matt Walsh.

But then, everything just kinda fell flat, and it seemed like no one was paying any attention to details. Hector was a very one- dimensional antagonist, and while I now love, and want to see more of, Lorenza Izzo, her character was one of the worst developed in the film. The scene where Eddie goes to have dinner with Tito and his family, and his mother has Eddie rub spices into the pork, only to show, one scene later, that they're having fish? Was no one bothering to keep any sort of continuity in this film?

Overall, great acting in a bad story, but with a good underlying message. Poor direction, stilted dialogue, and amateur camera work makes this feel very much like a college film you make before you go off to Hollywood.

Okay, so it's not very original, but the director clearly stole the premise of School of Rock which happens to be a favorite of mine since I am a guitar player of 28 years. The best way I can put this movie into perspective is that it is School of Rock with rock and roll replaced by sex education. The kids were great, Hayley Joel Osmant was great, the supporting adults were great, just a great movie. I gave it 7/10 but that's a really strong 7/10. I rarely write reviews...mainly because I suck at writing them, but this is a good movie and don't believe the naysayers. I was thoroughly entertained and it was also fascinating to see HJO in a role other than the "creepy-kid". Best movie ever?.....certainly not. Boring?.....certainly not. Give it a chance. I loved it and the bad reviews are just snobby know-it-alls.

I hated that HJO guy when he was a child actor. I couldn't stand his petulant facial expression and his wooden acting. But I love the guy as an adult underdog.

Look, in the secular world this character is a loser. No motivational psychobabble can change that fact. You should be having sex if you are secular, and if you can't get any, you've got a real problem. It deserves sympathy, but it is embarrassing.

If you're religious however, you have a good justification for remaining a virgin, and you don't have to apologize to anyone for it. But this guy seems to have been secular.

We see this large black lady giving him excellent life advice throughout, but we never hear her back story. How did she get so wise? Although her advice was on point, it was super awkward having her dispense it without any background. Also, guys don't want advice about how to be a man, from a woman.

I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear underage kids talking about sex in a movie. Forget that. I don't even know how they did it legally. It ruined it for me.

There are no really funny scenes. I don't want to see someone vomit on screen. That's such a cheap gross-out 80's rip-off. I would have liked to see much more photography of the Tampa Bay area. They hardly even utilized their surroundings.

How could a guy pay for an apartment and have a life based on one after school class? Were those kids on "detention" throughout the movie, because he had the same kids in the class all the way through. They originally said they were on detention.

The best part of the movie was the main character's male best friend. He was a funny guy who reminded me of a young Aaron Eckhart. The wise-cracking black kid was a cheap ploy. What a cliché. It fell flat.

The real message here was that alpha-males get the girls, because confidence is the main thing that attracts women to men. It's that simple.

It's nice that they included a Reverend's point of view, and his was the one that I made at the beginning of this review. I think they treated a religious figure with respect here. Even if the message of the film was the opposite of his.

Well, I made it through, and I give HJO the credit for that, because he was an underdog worth rooting for. Otherwise, this one lacked background and laughs, and needed a clearer message.

'Sex Ed' has a solid comedic premise: Eddie, a sexually inexperienced 23-year-old teacher, struggles to teach a sex-ed class to middle school kids. Beyond that, there's not much else going on.

Fine direction from Isaac Feder and good performances from the whole cast, especially Haley Joel Osment, whose boyish charm carries the movie. Unfortunately, the story is paper thin and there aren't many big laughs.

The secondary characters are all underwritten. Retta's character exists only to offer Eddie corny motivational speeches from behind the bar, and Lorenza Izzo is used exclusively as a prop for Eddie's sexual desires - why she is immediately attracted to his awkward speech and creepy stares, I have no idea. These characters - along with Eddie's roommate and his girlfriend - flit in and out of the movie when the plot requires them and have no depth or stories of their own.

While there is a lot of potential and talent involved in the film, it just isn't funny or interesting enough to hold your attention for 90 minutes.

Let's get this out of the way first: yes, Haley Joel Osment looks-wise isn't the kid who sees dead people or even his 16-year old self in the wonderful "Secondhand Lions". He's chunky (and could use a good haircut), but damn! is he a really good actor.

He carries this movie, he makes what could be a one-note or creepy character come alive. It helps that he has a terrific script to work with, it could easily have turned preachy fast but except for a scene near the end, it's more about Ed, HJO's character, and his lack of self- esteem, awkwardness around women, career frustrations and so on.

The rest of the cast is really good as well, especially Lorrenza Izzo as Pilar, Retta as bar owner/landlord Sydney, Matt Walsh as the school administrator Washout and young Isaac White as Leon. The rest of the cast is fine as well, even in the small parts. It's well directed and filmed and the score is full of toe-tappers. Special note should be made of the band that plays in Sydney's bar, what terrific musicians.

If you take this movie for what it is --a low-key, low budget comedy with some points to make-- it's a nice way to spend 90 minutes.