Love, Sex and Eating the Bones

I am so glad I discovered this gem of Canadian cinema. The performances, especially by the two leads, Hill Harper and Marlyne Afflack in the roles of Michael and Jasmine, were gripping and heartfelt. Harper and Afflack were so natural and appealing in portraying the chemistry and the many emotional upheavals of their characters' relationship, that I found myself rooting for this couple to survive against all the odds (Michael is addicted to porn and a regular customer of the video store Pornucopia). The film explores some thought-provoking and somewhat dark themes, such as obsession, sexual dysfunction, escapism and the frustrations of aspiring artists. But comedic touches abound: Mark Taylor (Romeo in the sitcom Student Bodies) puts on a very respectable "Jafakin" accent as Michael's mama's boy/playa friend; there's outrageously campy fake porn scenes from Michael's imagination and from the tapes he loves and much, much more. As a Jamaican Canadian, I loved the elements of black Canadian culture that shine through in the film: the dance hall songs in the soundtrack, eating chicken bones, Caribbean slang, Haitian Creole, lack of punctuality...The black characters also experience the subtle, but damaging form of racism prevalent in Canada when they are dismissed and typecast. However, the viewer is constantly reminded that black people are and will always be an integral part of Canadian life: the characters speak to each other in English and French, Barenaked Ladies and hip hop go hand in hand and hockey brings everyone together. Sudz Sutherland deserves some serious props for his screen writing/direction: the film is well-paced, nice to look at, smart, sexy, stylistically innovative in blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and full of wry, self-mocking, distinctively Canadian humour. I was very satisfied with the quality of the DVD in general, which includes an insightful making-of featurette, but the quiet sound and lack of subtitles were disappointing. I recommend this film highly to all film lovers and especially people who like their romantic comedies with a strong twist (think of Mambo Italiano, another Canadian classic).

Hill Harper plays Michael - a porn addicted man who, after starting a relationship with a celibate woman, wins a contest to do a sex scene with his favourite porn star.

This small independent film (2.5 million dollars) is absolutely delightful. It's a sure sign that innovative and imaginative films need not come from Hollywood.

This is the Toronto director's first feature film after his award winning short film.

The provocatively titled "Love, Sex and Eating the Bones" is a tale about sexual frustration involving a man addicted to porn and a woman with a decidedly more conservative view of making love. The curious twist is that it is the woman who wants to get down-and-dirty in the sack and the man who finds himself unable to rise to the occasion.

Michael is an aspiring photographer who works as a security guard at a local parking garage. Jasmine is a successful ad agency executive who has sworn off both men and sex since her last abortive relationship two years ago. The two find themselves falling in love with one another but hit a rocky patch when Michael turns out to be impotent - at least when it comes to having to perform with a flesh-and-blood human being.

"Love, Sex and Eating the Bones" starts off as a sub-par, utterly conventional romantic comedy, but just when you're about to give up on it, it takes a daring and much appreciated detour into some previously unexplored territory. This is the first film I can remember to feature impotence as a major plot point and the first to acknowledge the detrimental effect that pornography can have on real-world relationships. That the film does so in the context of a romantic comedy in no way diminishes its value and, in fact, makes the topics more palatable and approachable than they might otherwise be. Moreover, the film is blessed with two extremely likable stars as its protagonists, Hill Harper and Marlyne Afflack, who tackle the tricky subject matter with charm and grace. Some may see the humor in the film as vulgar and crude at times, but I tend to think of it as realistic, accurately capturing the ways in which couples talk and deal with one another in the modern world. This turns out to be a better film than one might initially suspect.

This is a movie for everyone. You'll walk out with a smile on your face, but it's not your typical dumb, cheap, formula, romantic comedy. OK OK it has a mostly black cast, but it's not about race. And sorry, but no, it's not about porn either. I don't care what your color or age or sexual hangups are, you'll see people you know in this movie. It's smart and funny. My husband enjoyed it just as much as I did. Really looking forward to the next movie by this director. The only bad thing about this movie is its title. It sounds sinister (eating the bones?!). I think it means getting the most out of life, but it gives the wrong impression. Just go see it!

Won't bother reitterating what's already been said about the film. It was well worth seeing and though the budget was less than what most Hollywood films spend on craft services, every cent shows on the screen and the dynamics between the leads are sparkling. Ed Robinson (of Barenaked Ladies fame) works well and Kenny Robinson as Robbie, the porn store owner plays suitably subdued which, for a comic, is no easy task. The supporting cast all play well, blending-in and emphasizing without stealing the spotlight from the leads. If I have any quibble with the film it would be that I maybe could've done with a little less of the porn star fantasy but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the film.