Virtual Sexuality

"Virtual Sexuality" is an above average movie about teenagers aimed especially at a teenage audience. It does include the traditional ingredients of similar movies, like the interest for the other gender, the good hearted nerd, the school's babe, the stupid jock and the silly parents. Yet is it different. Firstly because it is British (taking place in London) and not American as most films of the kind. Secondly because it contains an interesting twist (the duplication, as a man, of the female lead). Thirdly because the movie is told mainly from a female perspective. It does have some good points about relations between girls and boys in their upper teens, and they are told in a funny and inventive way. The main asset of the film is however Laura Fraser who plays the female lead, Justine. She is not only beautiful in a fresh and believable way, but also very, very charming. The movie wouldn't have been the same without her!

Justine is a 17 year old virgin and she wants to do something about it but can't find the best man to do it. She visits a science fair with her geeky friend Chas and has a go in a virtual reality machine that allows you to carry out changes to your own body. She makes herself into the perfect man when suddenly a freak explosion cause a power jolt and creates her electronic version – Jake. Jake befriends Chas while trying to work out a way back to his/her old body but Justine remembers nothing but is set up with Jake by her (their!) friend Fran.

Who says the Americans can only do average teen comedies – here the UK has a stab too. The film has a certain energy and enthusiasm that is hard to dislike at first but wears thin before even the halfway point is reached. Part of the reason is the fact that the plot is complete nonsense. I coped with the fact that Justine had become Jake – but it was all confused when Justine herself still exists in her old body. It just seemed so strained that I lost interest a bit. But the comedy should have held me.

The laughs are basic and mainly come from youf things – it's not very clever. The energy of the film comes through in the actors but also little touches like onscreen text and what not, it feels like it's full of youth and drive, even if the end result feels a little tired. Fraser is cool as Justine and carries the lead well. The first quarter is all her and it is the best part. Her change to Jake sees the focus on Penry-Jones who isn't very good, he tries but he is all wrong, when Fraser returns it isn't the same. de Lacey is OK and I must admit that I now have a small thing for Duprey who I found to be really good-looking!

I read a review that said hating this was like trying to kick a puppy – it's so full of cute enthusiasm and for the most part that's true. The energy carries it and makes it worth a watch if only once. However the laughs are fair to middling and the whole damn plot is just daft and confusing when you try and think about it for longer than a second.

The criticisms thrown at this British film have all missed the point - the filmmakers were trying to create a campy teen sex comedy in the banal and exploitative tradition of American 1980s cinema, but reverse the gender roles so that the girls are the protagonists and the boys do all of the nudity. It's no surprise that it took U.K. filmmakers to achieve this role reversal, largely because U.K. and other Euro films have never shied away from full male nudity, much unlike American filmmakers.

On this angle, the filmmakers have been absolutely successful. I attended a viewing of this last week in Toronto, and noted the hetero couple sitting in front of me - at the end of the film, the girl seemed slightly amused and aroused, while the boy seemed put out a bit - his facial expression seemed to resemble that of your average straight teenage girl after viewing Porky's or something like that. He seemed annoyed, and frustrated that all the nudity (and there was a lot of it for mainstream film standards) in the film was male.

Pathetic plot points aside, or bad acting, etc. this film achieves what it wanted to achieve - exploit the male gender in the context of a banal teen sex comedy featuring female protagonists. They weren't going for a logical plot or characters who would intrigue the audience. Who ever cared about the plots of the 1980s American teen sex comedies, anyway?

The filmmakers achieved their primary purpose with the teenage boy locker room scene, featuring several furtive shots of full frontal nudity. Not to mention, the numerous butt shots of star Rupert Penry-Jones, the dream boat created by the film's virtual reality machine, throughout the entire film.

Virtual Sexuality proves that Britain can produce romantic comedies as vapid as those from America. The only differences are an ending that ties up the loose bits differently than an American film would and a cameo by Ram John Holder, which is always welcome. That's enough to make this a watcher on a cold winter's night.

Nobody that sees this movie will tell you that the plot is spectacular or brilliant, but I think most people will be fairly entertained by it. There are, as in most movies, some slow times or failures, but there are some interesting developments dealing with the main characters, primarily how the girl acts in her new body as a guy. It's really a toss up whether or not the movie is worth seeing. If you're in the mood for a fairly simple but mostly entertaining film, go ahead and check it out. If you prefer heavy or artistic movies with flawless and deep plots, you should probably avoid this one. It is also worth noting that the English accent is sometimes hard to understand, so if that annoys you, this movie will too.