Sex is Comedy (4/10)

by Tony Medley

This is advertised as “a film by Catherine Breillat,” with no script credit, so I assume that she wrote and directed. One of her credits is as an actress in the notorious Last Tango in Paris (1972), which received an NC-17 rating because of a hot sex scene between Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider.

This film is about a director, Jeanne (Anne Parillaud; is it a coincidence that this was the name of Schneider’s character in ‘Tango?) who is trying to direct The Actor (Grégoire Colin) and The Actress (Roxane Mesquida) through an intimate sex scene. The actors hate each other but Grégoire seems to have the hots for Jeanne.

He’s uncooperative and The Actress is unenthused. Jeanne must appeal to both to get through the scene. The point seems to be that what seems hot when seen on the screen, isn’t at all titillating when actually shot. Part of the story apparently involves a prior relationship between Jeanne and The Actor. Both The Actor and The Actress come across as petulant children.

Another thing I couldn’t understand was the emotional reaction of The Actress after the filming was done. Ostensibly the sex was simulated. Why was she so distraught?

While it could have been an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the making of a movie, and even though there is substantial full frontal nudity of both The Actor and The Actress, and even though the film is only 92 minutes long, it is a bore. I had a very hard time staying awake.

October 28, 2004

The End