By Melissa Antoinette Garza
This is one of my favorite flicks of all time. It’s sexy, it’s raw and was able to break into the mainstream despite the nature of it. Usually, the R rated movies I liked flew under the radar because they were cult films and no one had quite heard of them. I’d rent them or watch them on TV and my mom and older sister didn’t really paid attention to what it was. SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE (1989) had a big enough commotion around it that it was one of the few flicks my mother turned and emphatically said, “you cannot watch that film” so the moment I had the chance to grab it when she was preoccupied, I did. No one was coming in between me and watching every James Spader flick released – no one!
It opens with repressed, bored housewife Ann (Andie MacDowell) who is talking to her therapist about environment problems. She does this as a mechanism to avoid her own reality, but the doc reels her in. She admits that her husband John (Peter Gallagher) has been distant and inattentive in the bedroom, not that she entirely minds. She senses something is going on, but isn’t ready to admit what it is. Instead, she convinces herself that she is the problem. She is so repressed that she can’t even masturbate without thinking of her dead grandmother and she’s never achieved an orgasm.
Her sister Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo) is the exact opposite. She’s a bartender, a wild child and someone who loves having sex. Unfortunately, Cynthia grows so infuriated by how reserved her sister is and feels so judged by her sexuality that she acts out destructively. She has an affair with John in effort to prove to herself that she’s better, in some ways, than her sister. It’s sad.
John is a complete dickhead. He takes advantage of Ann’s trustworthiness and gaslights her every moment he gets. He uses Cynthia’s insecurity and lack of self-worth as a way to get his rocks off. He’s a predator who is only after his own needs. I loathe John. Pete Gallagher is a fine looking man, but even he can’t bring out an attractive quality in jackass John. That said, it is a testimonial to what a good actor Gallagher is to make me hate his son-of-a-bitch character so much.
Thankfully, we do have a delectable gentleman arriving. John’s old college buddy Graham (James Spader) returns for a visit, but has changed much since his old frat days. After an epic break-up with someone who he considered the love of his life, he has turned into somewhat of an odd sexy recluse.
When he arrives only Ann is home. Graham takes an instant liking to her and asks if she has ever been on TV. There’s a reason for that. There’s a very sexy reason for that.
Graham has stopped having sex with others since his break-up. He’s impudent, but there’s more to the story. His entire current sex life surrounds videotapes he makes. He brings women who are always fully aware and aboard. They want to play and much as he wants to wath . He films them while they talk about sex and they often bring themselves to climax. He never touches them. Later, he watches them alone for fun fantasy fodder and where he feels safe enough to explore his own sexual appetite. Everyone needs kicks and his are very enticing and fun.
Graham and Ann become close. She tries to help him thru his residual feelings toward his ex, but when she finds out about his videos, she momentarily freaks. She gets even more upset when she finds out Cynthia masturbated in a video for him. Still, Ann definitely has a thing for Graham. It becomes harder for her to fight the attraction. Finally, Ann’s body is working the way it is designed to and she’s letting go a bit. Yes, Graham is gorgeous and Johnny-Boy is a pervy, cheating douche with no soul. Go and get Graham!
When Ann finds out about her sister and John, she runs to Graham. She’s hurt further when she finds out Graham knew. Still, finally ready to shed her repressive ways she asks Graham to video her. She then videos him which he’s not a fan of. She asks some tough questions and makes some headway helping him to acknowledge some real deep emotional wounds that were never properly dealt with.
This paves the way for Ann to be bold enough and ask for him to give her his first orgasm and though the scene doesn’t go on nearly as long as I would have liked, my imagination works wonders.
Steven Soderbergh hit every right chord with this film. The tone, atmosphere, pace, dialogue, acting, casting, originality and compelling plot makes this production so special.
It’s a fantastic glimpse into the rawest and most real cinema the mainstream and academy will allow to hang.
Amazon Primers enjoy it now!
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10
