Sexual Life (2005)

Ken Kwapis directs this comedic drama using an ensemble to reveal the hopes, fears, lies, secrets and heartbreaks of several people whose lives actually intersect by way of shared sex partners. There is the whimsy, compassion, sympathetic and power of sex. A young prostitute Lorna(Azure Skye)seems to be searching for the difference between sex and love; finding that sex is very illusionary and at the same time a neccessatity and a deal breaker. Is sex stronger than those ties that bind? Can sex really substitute for a long goodbye? Along with the cute and overly affectionate Skye is: Carla Gallo, Tom Everett Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Steven Weber and Anne Heche. Strong sexual dialog and situations with nudity earn an R rating. Not out loud funny, but entertaining.

"Sexual Life" takes a superficial look at the romantic inclinations or disinclinations of several disparate but loosely interconnected Los Angeles couples as it flows serially from one couple to the next, eventually coming full circle in the end. The common denominator is sex and other relationship salients though the film is quite tame and has a kind of mellow and understated feel to it. The couples range from a call girl and her client to a married couple to a betrothed couple, etc. all obviously carefully planned to provide a range of possibilities for both auteur and audience. Though there's little new to be found between the credits, this is a pleasant little dramedy which handles the subject matter delicately in deference to more edgy and sexually explicit genre motifs. "Sexual Life", built from B listers and a step down for Heche, is a winsome little indie for those who want to glean it from broadcast. (B-)

In a sense, this film is a variation on "Closer," without the sinister edges. It follows the lives, particularly the sexual lives of eight or 10 characters. By linking the characters through chance encounters and physical attraction, the film weaves a tapestry of deceit, hunger, yearning, and the longing to lead other lives. Like "Closer," the characters flirt, dally and feel the sting of regret as they explore the edges of their sexual confines. Throughout the film, characters step outside the roles to which their lives confine them. High-class prostitute (Azura Skye) abruptly quits the job in search of a new life. The vice mayor's son Jerry (Dule Hill) expresses his frustration at always being "the good son." The wedding photographer (Tom Scott) wants to quit paying for sex and find a permanent real relationship. They are lives of longing broken by moments of intense heat. The characters are well-drawn. But, like "Closer," the view ultimately finds it hard to empathize with them. Like the aftermath of sex without live, the movie leaves an empty feeling.

You follow a a person through their life highlighting the moments when they are concerned/talking about sex. After they have sex, you follow their partner until that person's next encounter, and so on. 7 or 8 people in all, seeing their sex life from their perspective. A lot of viewpoints, perspectives and situations. Its an enjoyable romp :) through these lives, frame-worked by time spent with the beginning and ending character "lorna", who makes the movie. The story and situations themselves lacked imagination. The dialog was smart, maybe the best part. The score was nice listening and went well with the brisk pace. Overall it was kind of stale. Cute and lame.