Young People Fucking

Director Martin Guero knows that the title of his first film, YOUNG PEOPLE F#@KING, is brash enough to grab anyone's attention. It could be misconstrued as a title meant to entice lonely, older men to weekend matinees but in an effort to dissuade these "gentlemen", I will tell you the people in question here aren't that young. These particular people are all in their mid to late 20's, all relatively white and all essentially straight. This does not bode well for this self-professed modern exploration of what it means to be a player in their prime in today's supposedly kinky sexual playing field. Still, you can feel Guero smiling from behind the camera, content with himself for telling it like it is. Only Guero's idea of today's sexual experience is so steeped in convention that it is anything but provocative.

To make his film even less reverent, Guero divides his young people into perfectly constructed boxes. These particular groupings are so well established in the public's vernacular that Guero doesn't need to spend any time establishing any actual history in his characters. Who has time for the human touch though when you're talking about humans touching? A couple, two friends, two exes, two people on their first date and two roommates all find themselves in the throws of passion, or at least the throws of pastime, on one very busy night in one undisclosed city. Now, I'm warning you. The following may be too shocking to handle. The couple, well they have gotten bored with their sex life and now barely have any sex at all. The people on their first date are saying a bunch of things just to get into each other's pants. Even the friends are hesitant that if they were to have sex, it might somehow change the friendship they have relied on platonically for years. By reducing his characters to such tired clichés, Guero has crafted a hollow exploration of caricature rather than an actual character study.

Who knew that sex could have such a giant impact on people and relationships? Oh, right, everyone knew that already. Sex is the ultimate complicating factor and the definitive line that only occasionally warrants crossing. Should friends cross it? Should exes? How about strangers? No matter who you are, both alone and together, before you cross it, you will be changed once you do, no matter how many lies you tell yourself to con your mind into making a supposedly sound decision. You take that step, leave the planet for a while if you're lucky and land on your feet if you're even luckier still, a changed person for having taken the risk. Simply put, sex is big. YOUNG PEOPLE F@#KING however, is nowhere near as monumental as that and you'll forget it by the time the condom is off.

I actually really liked 'YPF' and despite its title, I'm sure it would've been more mainstream. Though, not perfect, it was somewhat original in its story telling of 5 couples and the different degrees/steps of making love (to put it nicely.) A lot of the stories were hilarious and I especially liked the married couple and definitely the kinky roommate threesome. The other three were interesting enough, and I did like the outcome of the Eric Bana-type's fate, but I liked it most when it strolled back to the married couple's discovery of boredom and how to overcome and a jerky roommate's desire to please his girlfriend while watching his very well endowed roommate bed her. In one night, in one "could happen anywhere" city, the story jumps between different scenarios while labeling the basic levels of sexual activity. The five are: a playboy and the new office girl, ex's reconnecting, a drained married couple, two roommates and a girl and, finally, best friends trying to take it to the next level. The movie is filled with complete eye candy, for both males and females. I should say, more accurately, all the females are stunning and as for the males, they really show diversity: from geeks to studs. While it only revolves around Caucasians, and homosexuals are left out, there's a little bit for everyone. And I say homosexuals are left out, as in no one's gay, but the roommate situation borderlines it. That is probably why I liked that story the best as they didn't just throw in the token gay couple, but they put people very open and not afraid of what society says they should be. Some of the writing and acting seems forced, for the most part it was entertaining, surprising and downright hilarious at times.

Going into a movie called Young People F**king, there is not much one can expect outside of what the title is selling. Yeah, the trailers made the film look funny, and pronounced the critical acclaim for it, but unfortunately, its brash title's suggestion is the only reason people will either run to see the movie, or avoid the film like the plague. And for such a great little film, that is truly a shame.

The film follows four very different couples (and one three-person group) through the course of one night in their sex lives. It picks up right at the beginning introducing the couples (from one that is actually labelled as "The Couple" to another labelled as "The Friends"), and the circumstances that brought them to the inevitable sex, and then progressively goes through the various steps these groups go through from the pre-sex, to the after-sex (cutting back and forth between the groups in-between each of the six intervals).

What is most interesting about this film is how many different ways it covers sex. No one couple in this film is the same, and through the film's clever use of cutting back and forth between them, the audience can genuinely say that they have sat through something truly unique. In North America, sex is always looked down upon as being totally taboo, and a healthy dose of action is what audiences end up getting fed instead. When certain films show up on the radar, like the blazingly unrivalled, albeit, nearly pornographic Shortbus two years ago, they are met with controversy and are almost automatically put down for their depiction of something so inherent to human life that we would cease to exist without it. Young People F**king is not as graphic or raw as Shortbus, but it would be much in the same category in what it is trying to accomplish.

Young People F**king succeeds in being a great film because it stays within reality. Yes, there are certain things said and done that some may not find to be normal, but for the most part, the film plays on sexual stereotypes and sexual themes that everyone knows and can find solace in. The small cast of characters on-screen are real, and are dealing with real issues. There is little to no fantasy being explored here. These are characters that have had their emotions stomped on, who have genuinely real problems that just about anyone in the audience can relate to. The filmmakers know the universality of their subject, and they know that comparisons are going to be made. What they might not have realized in their developing of the stories and characters, was just how affecting it would be.

What also makes the film a success is how funny it is. It never once tries to go over-the-top (minus one particularly vulgar piece of dialogue that the trailer cleverly teases at), and for the most part, stays grounded in the reality of how one would imagine these couples would interact. The film knows its audience, and it stays true to its characters. For every hilarious nugget of dialogue, there is another that is funny only because of how honest and truthful it is, and another that is truly moving. The film does not skimp on trying to make itself out to be something it is not. It wants to be frank, and it does not even try to steer around the topic of sex. And in that respect, the film delivers in spades (and real comedy unlike some of the forced sex comedies we are used to seeing).

Singling out one couple or one character in the film would giving the film its proper due. Every single one of the eleven actors involved in the film make this film what it is. No they are not perfect in their acting styles, but then, neither are these characters. They pour their hearts into making the film believable, real and mature. They all work well off their partner (as none of the groups interact with any of the others), and you can see the honest and sincere emotions in their facial and body expressions (since there are many moments where dialogue is not expressed as much as facial emotion). Yes, some of the situations these characters encounter may seem ridiculous, but the cast rolls with them, and makes them feel just as normal as any other.

If the film suffers from any imperfections at all, it is in that it feels boring at times. Its quick and blazing fast opening suggests that it will not dwell, but in exploring its characters, it unfortunately falls into some fairly exhausting and dull moments that have trouble picking back up. And it is the same problem with every couple featured in the film, in that they just cannot keep up with the pace the film wants to have. I appreciated the deep explorations these characters got, but I think there could have been an easier and faster way to get to some of them. It feels like the filmmakers know how they want to approach these couples, and know how they want to explore their uncertainties and real world emotions, but they just miss the mark in a few instances. It is not a widespread plague that ruins the whole movie; it just halts it from getting from one place to the next in specific instances.

For what the film promises in its title, Young People F**king does an excellent job of making itself out to be a comedy, but out to be a drama all the same. It is funny, sweet, vulgar, and touching all at once. It is an excellent must-see film, if only because of how it treats its subject. It suffers only because of some boring instances, but then, so too does life itself.

8/10.

It is a movie about sex, but without much of it. It is not pornographic or offensive, but funny and (to many adults) pretty close to home. The basic plot is about a few couples that have sex and the emotions involved: the exes, the couple, the roommates, the friends, etc.

I can tell you my wife enjoyed it and got in the mood in the same time, so you could definitely try it together with the SO. The film is not a parody. No cheap laughs and stupid jokes, only fun from things that could be real.

Bottom line: a good romantic comedy that is not overly romantic and has a plot! How cool is that? Also Carly Pope, Diora Baird and Kristin Booth look delicious.

You certainly don't know what to expect with a title like YPF. Maybe some soft-core action? What you get from this movie is so much more than what you thought.

It is five separate stories: two exes getting together, a first date, a married couple who have lost the spark, BFFs, and two roommates with a girl. Five separate stories that come together in a way you would not expect.

Yes, it's about sex, and it's about twenty-somethings, but it is also much much deeper. It is about expectations and relationships and being open to new experience. Sometimes things don't work out, and sometimes they work out in ways that blow your mind.

It is seriously funny.