Sex Tape
2/4
Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Language and Some Drug Use
The good news about Cameron Diaz's new movie, "Sex Tape," is that it's better than her other film this year: "The Other Woman." The bad news is that it's still not very good.
What is it with comedies these days that never stop belaboring the jokes? Comic bits either have to keep it short or build to a climax. There are stretches of time in "Sex Tape" that feel straight out of "Neighbors," and that's not a good place to be. The scenes in "Sex Tape" are much funnier than the ones in Seth Rogen's ego trip because they're funnier jokes (Cameron Diaz berating Jason Segel about accidentally sending their sex tape to a bunch of people is a lot funnier than watching Seth Rogen saying he doesn't know how to talk to a bunch of frat boys repeatedly). But I got the sense that it should be funnier than it actually is. Either because of bad timing or flat jokes, "Sex Tape" provokes chuckles rather than belly laughs.
Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel) are a loving couple with two kids. When they were dating, they had sex whenever and wherever they could. But after getting married and having kids, not only is it impossible to find time to have fun under the covers, they've lost their sex drive. Both of them are unhappy about this, so one night, Annie drops the kids off at Grandma's (Nancy Lenehan) so they can have a night of uninhibited passion. It's a great idea, but it doesn't work out. Undaunted, Annie decides to make a sex tape. So, they get drunk and perform every position in "The Joy of Sex." Jay promises to delete it, but he forgets. Soon, he's accidentally sent it to everyone he's given an iPad to (he needs to upgrade constantly for work). Not only do these include their friends Robby (Corddry) and Tess (Kemper), but also Hank (Lowe), Annie's potential boss at a family-values toy company. Thus begins a race to find all the iPads and delete the video.
This had the potential to be a great raunchy screwball comedy (the beginning reminded me of another comedy from this year, "Moms' Night Out"), but it fails because it stretches the set pieces to long after they expend their humor quotient. I kept thinking of another raunchfest that Cameron Diaz made while making this movie. It is, of course, "There's Something About Mary," a much funnier R-rated comedy than this one. Both are loaded with sex gags, and share crazy scenes with a dog as one of their highlights. Instead of Matt Dillon trying to resuscitate a dead terrier or Ben Stiller battling with said terrier when he's on speed, we have a snooping Jason Segel running from a very overprotective German Shepard. It would have been a great set piece, but the scene runs on longer than both of "Mary's" dog scenes combined. Screwball comedies only work with lots of short comic set pieces rather than a few long ones.
The acting is also better. Diaz and Segel reunite with director Jake Kasdan after the hilarious "Bad Teacher," in which they also played love interests. Their chemistry is rekindled and nurtured till it catches fire. Both are highly accomplished comic actors. Diaz hasn't lost any of her presence or comic timing, and at 42, she still looks incredible. She even has a nude scene (whether its her or CGI is anyone's guess...I wouldn't put her in the shy category, but she's never done nudity before, and there could be body doubles at work in some of the other scenes). Jason Segel has the adorable lug quality down pat, having a similar appeal to what Rogen had before his ego got out of control. Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper are pretty much wasted; they're brought along for the ride, but the movie ditches them after they become unnecessary (and they are almost superfluous anyway). Rob Lowe appears here, poking fun at himself decades after his own sex scandal in 1989. Considering what happened, it toes the line between bad taste and insensitivity, but it's less offensive than Roman Polanski's appearance in "Rush Hour 3."
This movie may have some of the same problems as "Neighbors," but it's a much better film. Still, it's probably best to skip it and re-watch "There's Something About Mary" instead. Watching this movie will make you wonder, "Is that it?"
Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe
Rated R for Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Language and Some Drug Use
The good news about Cameron Diaz's new movie, "Sex Tape," is that it's better than her other film this year: "The Other Woman." The bad news is that it's still not very good.
What is it with comedies these days that never stop belaboring the jokes? Comic bits either have to keep it short or build to a climax. There are stretches of time in "Sex Tape" that feel straight out of "Neighbors," and that's not a good place to be. The scenes in "Sex Tape" are much funnier than the ones in Seth Rogen's ego trip because they're funnier jokes (Cameron Diaz berating Jason Segel about accidentally sending their sex tape to a bunch of people is a lot funnier than watching Seth Rogen saying he doesn't know how to talk to a bunch of frat boys repeatedly). But I got the sense that it should be funnier than it actually is. Either because of bad timing or flat jokes, "Sex Tape" provokes chuckles rather than belly laughs.
Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel) are a loving couple with two kids. When they were dating, they had sex whenever and wherever they could. But after getting married and having kids, not only is it impossible to find time to have fun under the covers, they've lost their sex drive. Both of them are unhappy about this, so one night, Annie drops the kids off at Grandma's (Nancy Lenehan) so they can have a night of uninhibited passion. It's a great idea, but it doesn't work out. Undaunted, Annie decides to make a sex tape. So, they get drunk and perform every position in "The Joy of Sex." Jay promises to delete it, but he forgets. Soon, he's accidentally sent it to everyone he's given an iPad to (he needs to upgrade constantly for work). Not only do these include their friends Robby (Corddry) and Tess (Kemper), but also Hank (Lowe), Annie's potential boss at a family-values toy company. Thus begins a race to find all the iPads and delete the video.
This had the potential to be a great raunchy screwball comedy (the beginning reminded me of another comedy from this year, "Moms' Night Out"), but it fails because it stretches the set pieces to long after they expend their humor quotient. I kept thinking of another raunchfest that Cameron Diaz made while making this movie. It is, of course, "There's Something About Mary," a much funnier R-rated comedy than this one. Both are loaded with sex gags, and share crazy scenes with a dog as one of their highlights. Instead of Matt Dillon trying to resuscitate a dead terrier or Ben Stiller battling with said terrier when he's on speed, we have a snooping Jason Segel running from a very overprotective German Shepard. It would have been a great set piece, but the scene runs on longer than both of "Mary's" dog scenes combined. Screwball comedies only work with lots of short comic set pieces rather than a few long ones.
The acting is also better. Diaz and Segel reunite with director Jake Kasdan after the hilarious "Bad Teacher," in which they also played love interests. Their chemistry is rekindled and nurtured till it catches fire. Both are highly accomplished comic actors. Diaz hasn't lost any of her presence or comic timing, and at 42, she still looks incredible. She even has a nude scene (whether its her or CGI is anyone's guess...I wouldn't put her in the shy category, but she's never done nudity before, and there could be body doubles at work in some of the other scenes). Jason Segel has the adorable lug quality down pat, having a similar appeal to what Rogen had before his ego got out of control. Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper are pretty much wasted; they're brought along for the ride, but the movie ditches them after they become unnecessary (and they are almost superfluous anyway). Rob Lowe appears here, poking fun at himself decades after his own sex scandal in 1989. Considering what happened, it toes the line between bad taste and insensitivity, but it's less offensive than Roman Polanski's appearance in "Rush Hour 3."
This movie may have some of the same problems as "Neighbors," but it's a much better film. Still, it's probably best to skip it and re-watch "There's Something About Mary" instead. Watching this movie will make you wonder, "Is that it?"
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