Love, Sex, and Eating the Bones (2003)

I'd actually give this movie almost eight stars, if possible, not because it's so terribly fabulous (though I do think it's good--just don't want to over-inflate my ratings), but because it manages impressively much with the small budget it had. Also, I really enjoyed most of the actors in it, and would seek out other performances they do. If you like somewhat off-beat, character-driven comedies, then go in without huge expectations but with an open mind, and you'll probably be glad to have seen this.I missed the very first few minutes (caught this by chance on the Starz "black" movie channel late at night), and the first few moments I saw seemed mildly unpromising, but with enough feeling of something to come, and potential in the characters to keep me watching. It was the first moment of magic realism (when Jasmine opens Michael's portfolio) that quickly sharpened my interest. There were further moments of such fantasy judiciously sprinkled through the movie, without heavy-handed explanation or drawing attention--just there, with the writer-director trusting audience members to not need spoon-feeding. Mostly, the characters' normal, human problems, joys and such carry the movie nicely.There may be some validity to others' criticisms regarding stereotypes, but, if so, I think it's not nearly so heavy a problem as some make it out to be. Certainly, there's less of that in this than in many other movies. Also, some of the aspects and situations that have been cited as stereotyped or clichéd are perhaps simply universal, or just common and true to real life. To me, it's all in what a filmmaker does with such commonplaces, how he/she uses them, and Mr. Sutherland keeps it mostly interesting and fresh.Anyway, especially for a small-budget first feature film, this is pretty damned good work, and worth watching for a bit of character-driven fun.

This is a nice relation drama/comedy flick.After all the films I've seen in the past months it is nice to see a movie that has a convincing story and is situated in a place thats looks like it is on earth. Man meets woman and they fall in love. The comedy about it is that the leading character, Michael, only gets a hard one if he watches porn. Too bad. But his girlfriend makes a big fuzz about it. Enough stuff for director and writer Sutherland to let us feel with Michael and maybe understand its problem (hey, thinking of it is alway hornier than doing it. Forget it, I had this discussion with my friends and we agreed about it). His lover Jasmine is not very into the porn and she sees it as a big problem. But hardly talks about it and lets poor Michael onto his own. Hey, it is the millennium, talk about it, pay a shrink for him! All is fair, this movie is very nice. It's interesting, funny and the main character Michael is likable and all actors do a great job. Ik give it a well deserved 7.

Pleasantly surprised and a little jealous. There is nothing cloying or PC about this movie. It is totally entertaining and manages to be both blatantly Toronto-set and immediately identifiable to Anywhere, USA. The actors are well served and the apparently writing is quite funny. The directing and editing have style without any loss of the emotional arcs involved. Definitely for the young audience of early Kevin Smith. It means that some of us have to work a little harder on scripts that touch on similar subject matter. I have to admit it is good, although the title might have put off a few people - it is the only element that may be too arty for its intended audience. I especially like the skateboarder scene, and I am not a fan of skateboards. (It's not showing off skateboarding skill, it's the context; very true of those of us in Michael's profession too.)

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.