Love & Sex

If you've been watching Jon Favreau's Dinner for Five on IFC, and enjoying it, as I have, you'll definitely enjoy this movie. Favreau is fun to watch, and this movie shows his strengths as an actor. Famke Jansen is a standout as Kate, the film's protagonist.

Looking through the External Reviews, linked on IMDB, it seems that many of the critics really disliked this movie, and I don't see why. It may not be Shakespeare, but why such a strong negative reaction to what is essentially a light, romantic comedy. Some even say there is no chemistry between Jansen and Favreau, and again, I just don't get it.

OK, so you've probably read the synopsis, 30ish single Kate is looking for love. 30ish Adam seems to be it. Then they break up. Then they try to move on. Then they drive each other crazy with jealousy. I won't go on to spoil the finish.

All that is pretty predictable, but the dialogue is well written. The actors are believable and connect with less of a sizzle than a warm melt. I enjoyed the build-up phase of the relationship that was the heart of the movie. The soundtrack songs were well chosen, and enhanced the film.

Overall, this movie is a nice time, and I'd probably watch it again.

If you like intelligent, witty character-driven flicks, but aren't feeling up for anything too meaningful, you will probably enjoy this. The actors have great chemistry and the writing is often delightfully fresh.

"I like being depressed. It makes me feel deep and introspective."

Famke Janssen is a joy to behold in this insightful, underrated portrait of an alarmingly cynical woman. 'Love & Sex' takes a refreshingly frank look at the politics of sex between two individuals. Janssen, whom I had only beheld in all her beauty in a few "meh" action flicks, puts mountains of charm and introspection into this performance.

She plays Kate Welles, a jaded women's magazine columnist who finds trouble with her foulmouthed boss for writing an article with step-by-step instructions on oral sex ("When life sucks, so should you!") This pretty much sets the tone for the film, which contains no nudity but some explicit sexual dialogue.

I'm not presenting this as a negative whatsoever. It's almost inspiring, in fact, seeing a romantic comedy (no matter how IFC it is) that is so candid about such matters.

Roger Ebert, the best critic out there, gave the film a negative review, feeling that "In successful screen romance, there needs to be the sense that the partners are happy simply to be there with one another, that there is a physical yearning, and not simply the need to talk fast enough to stay ahead of the one-liners." I would agree, partially. 'Love & Sex' is not perfect, far from it. At times it can seem like a series of one-liners, but would you rather have a train of quick and biting one-liners for dialogue, or a wretched dredge through moronic cheeseball sentimentality? I prefer the former.

Overall, 'Love & Sex' is a shrewd and funny mix of Woody Allen and 'Sex and the City', and I would recommend it to open-minded moviegoers looking a quick and pleasing comedy with satisfying bite.

3/4

Valerie Breiman treats the subject of love and sex with almost the perfect balance. It remains funny and light while treading on some pretty heavy issues. I saw it at a film festival and it was a welcome relief from the heaviness of many of the other films shown. This was the first time I had noticed Famke Janssen and I said, "I'll watch out for her because she will surely get a bigger film." Sure enough, she showed up in a good role in X Men. This is a great date film, by the way, if your date is at all open-minded. Despite the "sex" in the title, there isn't much shown. The language is a little over-the-top.

The screenplay was witty and had a sense of true comedic timing.

The movie only showcases a bit of what the screenplay held.Valerie Breiman wrote a fantastic script, but her direction was somewhat lacking, and I felt that the actors did the best they could with what she gave them. There were some elements of great comedy, but the timing was just a BIT off. A more experienced director could have played up the many one liners and the countless funny moments from Kate's love life. The ending just sort of showed up, which was disappointing, and she could have worked more of the new article deadline into the story. And unfortunately, the one serious moment in the story (which was acted very well) was too short and it could have been explored more, and could have exhibited itself further in the story as something like that affects someone very deeply, even Kate.

Jon Favreau is a very funny man and from what I've seen a pretty good actor. Famke Janssen, while best known as the best bad Bond Girl and Jean Grey from X-men, isn't known for her acting ability, having taken some roles in some very VERY bad movies. However, I think almost each and every time she makes a movie she gets better and better. This was the first time I'd seen her play something other than the one dimentional characters from her previous roles. I think that in 'Love and Sex' and also in the new 'X-2 X-Men United' she's starting to show some real acting chops, some true depth, indicating that she's more than just a former-model-turned-actress cliche. She turned out some very very funny scenes, but the director as I said earlier just missed out on the very jokes she had written. Hopefully, Ms. Janssen will start to get some meatier roles to play, based on the potential she showed here and the heart and soul she's brought to a comic book character for crying out loud. But that's another review and a completely different type of movie. I'd like to see her do more comedy.

Ms. Brieman gave a decent 1st time out movie, it just could have been so much more. I still really enjoyed it and if I had the money I'd go buy it. I got the humor, and appreciated it, even though it was poorly put on the screen. Maybe its because I'm just as neurotic as Kate and Adam.