Film review: 'Sex Monster'
There's lots of sex in this low-budget comedy, but it's monstrously unfunny if one isn't in the ranks of horny, bored male yuppies that represent its de facto audience.
A one-joke movie stroked into a veritable marathon of screwing and wooden farce, writer-director-lead actor Mike Binder's "Sex Monster" is more big tease than anything-goes sleaze, reflecting the always nagging guilty consciousness of the leads.
A world premiere blind date at the U.S. Comedy Arts Film Festival in Aspen, Colo., "Sex" won't be shagging many paying customers beyond a limited domestic release and unarousing exposure in post-theatrical markets.
Mariel Hemingway and Stephen Baldwin in the cast, heaps of gags about lesbianism and bisexuality, even the "Sex Monster Dancers" -- a half-dozen young gals bumping and grinding to Joe Cocker's "Woman to Woman" over the opening and closing credits -- all fail to lure one into Binder's smutty scenario.
While the direction could have been perkier, the real mood-killers are the screenplay and two-dimensional characterizations.
A successful housing contractor in L.A., Marty Barnes (Binder) is happily married but obsessed with the idea of talking his wife, winsome hairdresser Laura (Hemingway), into a threesome with another woman.
She at first reacts with mild umbrage but grows more used to the idea. He struggles to make it all sound healthy and natural, finally hitting on the concept of "home court advantage" -- i.e., a woman knows best how to make love to another woman.
Binder tries to flesh out the characters in the subsequent awkward scenes of Laura and Marty's mutual experimentation, but there are no serious obstacles to their dalliances with more than one new playmate, starting with her sweet, flirtatious co-worker Didi (Renee Humphrey). The big chuckle is that Laura becomes enthusiastically bisexual, with Marty quickly growing jealous of her all-night sessions that continue after he's withdrawn from action.
The other central conceit is that many a woman longs to be, has been, or will be a lesbian. Once Laura gets started, she aggressively pursues Marty's engaged assistant (Missy Crider) and succeeds. Even Marty's sister is not safe around his voracious wife, while he periodically endures detection and treatment of a polyp on his colon from bored Dr. Berman (Kevin Pollak).
Baldwin and Taylor Nichols are refreshing diversions as Marty's bar pals, with the latter playing a larger role when his wife is drawn toward Laura. Christopher Lawford is suitably smug and judgmental as a conservative business partner whose trophy wife (Joanna Heimbold) has a wicked streak. The sweaty climax involves a business deal that Marty and Laura flub while their marriage and dignity survive.
SEX MONSTER
Molly-B Prods.
Writer-director: Mike Binder
Producers: Jack Binder, Scott Stephens
Executive producers: Peter Savarino, Jim Harbaugh, Marc Frydman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Laura: Mariel Hemingway
Marty: Mike Binder
Didi: Renee Humphrey
Billy: Taylor Nichols
Diva: Missy Crider
Dave: Christopher Lawford
Evie: Joanna Heimbold
Dr. Berman: Kevin Pollak
Murphy: Stephen Baldwin
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
A one-joke movie stroked into a veritable marathon of screwing and wooden farce, writer-director-lead actor Mike Binder's "Sex Monster" is more big tease than anything-goes sleaze, reflecting the always nagging guilty consciousness of the leads.
A world premiere blind date at the U.S. Comedy Arts Film Festival in Aspen, Colo., "Sex" won't be shagging many paying customers beyond a limited domestic release and unarousing exposure in post-theatrical markets.
Mariel Hemingway and Stephen Baldwin in the cast, heaps of gags about lesbianism and bisexuality, even the "Sex Monster Dancers" -- a half-dozen young gals bumping and grinding to Joe Cocker's "Woman to Woman" over the opening and closing credits -- all fail to lure one into Binder's smutty scenario.
While the direction could have been perkier, the real mood-killers are the screenplay and two-dimensional characterizations.
A successful housing contractor in L.A., Marty Barnes (Binder) is happily married but obsessed with the idea of talking his wife, winsome hairdresser Laura (Hemingway), into a threesome with another woman.
She at first reacts with mild umbrage but grows more used to the idea. He struggles to make it all sound healthy and natural, finally hitting on the concept of "home court advantage" -- i.e., a woman knows best how to make love to another woman.
Binder tries to flesh out the characters in the subsequent awkward scenes of Laura and Marty's mutual experimentation, but there are no serious obstacles to their dalliances with more than one new playmate, starting with her sweet, flirtatious co-worker Didi (Renee Humphrey). The big chuckle is that Laura becomes enthusiastically bisexual, with Marty quickly growing jealous of her all-night sessions that continue after he's withdrawn from action.
The other central conceit is that many a woman longs to be, has been, or will be a lesbian. Once Laura gets started, she aggressively pursues Marty's engaged assistant (Missy Crider) and succeeds. Even Marty's sister is not safe around his voracious wife, while he periodically endures detection and treatment of a polyp on his colon from bored Dr. Berman (Kevin Pollak).
Baldwin and Taylor Nichols are refreshing diversions as Marty's bar pals, with the latter playing a larger role when his wife is drawn toward Laura. Christopher Lawford is suitably smug and judgmental as a conservative business partner whose trophy wife (Joanna Heimbold) has a wicked streak. The sweaty climax involves a business deal that Marty and Laura flub while their marriage and dignity survive.
SEX MONSTER
Molly-B Prods.
Writer-director: Mike Binder
Producers: Jack Binder, Scott Stephens
Executive producers: Peter Savarino, Jim Harbaugh, Marc Frydman
Color/stereo
Cast:
Laura: Mariel Hemingway
Marty: Mike Binder
Didi: Renee Humphrey
Billy: Taylor Nichols
Diva: Missy Crider
Dave: Christopher Lawford
Evie: Joanna Heimbold
Dr. Berman: Kevin Pollak
Murphy: Stephen Baldwin
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 3/8/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.