The Opposite of Sex (1998)

There's something so off-kilter about this film. Something that makes it stand apart from others of its kind. The structure is pretty complex, if one takes into accounts all of the turns in the story the film makes. The performances are aces, but Kudrow really stands far and away at the top. One of the finest TV actresses ever, if not the finest (her work in TV is masterful) she has the perfect blend of comedy and drama here. Her work is effective on a dramatic level, even though it's also a pretty hilarious turn. This is a fantastic performance, hitting all of the right notes and pitch-perfect keys that one can hit. This is highly recommended.

Roughly the first half of this movie was OK. Ivan Sergei was lovable and Christina Ricci was amusingly cynical.Eventually both Ivan and his character seemed overwhelmed by Lisa Kudrow's irritating and grating personality and Martin Donovan's total absence of personality. It was somewhere near the midpoint in the film that Lisa delivered what seemed like an endless sermon to the listless Martin. It was like listening to someone drag her finger nails across a chalkboard but less interesting. And it was about at this point where Christina's cynicism ceased being amusing and became depressing.I never got on board with the idea that Ivan/Matt could find Martin/Bill sexually attractive or that anyone at Bill's school or the larger community could feel anything, much less sympathy, for the slug-like Bill. I gather that Lyle Lovett is a successful singer. It's nice to know he can do something well. Towards the end of the film it seemed everyone was winging it, just trying to tie up loose ends with whatever came to mind in the hope that it might distract the audience from the realization that more than 1 1/2 hours of their lives had just evaporated.

Christina Ricci plays a brunette Lolita in this charming indie comedy from 1998. She visits her brother, straight-laced Martin Donovan, and then proceeds to seduce and confuse his hunky boy-toy, played by Ivan Sergei.The film is no big deal, but it made a fairly large impression on me back in 1998. Ricci gives a terrific performance, successfully navigating the transition from childhood to adult actor. But the highest praise must go to Lisa Kudrow, who broke out of her "Friends" character and actually generated a little bit of deserved Oscar buzz for her performance as an uptight prude.Grade: A

Christina Ricci showed audiences that she had indeed arrived into adulthood. In this inspired performance of a spoiled brat who is hell-bent on ruining the lives of everyone in her wake, Ricci tears up the screen.The hugely underrated Martin Donovan plays her half brother, who finds himself alone after she seduces his young lover (Ivan Sergei doing a great job as the clueless Matt). Lisa Kudrow and Lyle Lovett give solid supporting performances, and Johnny Galecki-so sweet on Roseanne-gives an excellent against-type performance.Dede's not bad-she's just misunderstood, or else that what she tries to convince the audience. She's a total witch, but Ricci is so likable and actress, it's hard to get mad at Dede. She's sympathetic because she's so young and confused. She's an angry young woman, and she is selfish to boot-but she's not evil.The script is well-written, the direction right-on, and the film moves between comedy and drama with ease. It's a real joy, and deserves to find a bigger audience.