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Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989) 7.2
Ratings:
7.2/10 from 35,400 users
Metascore: 86/100
Reviews: 91 user | 56 critic | 17 from Metacritic.com A sexually repressed woman's husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual fetish changes everything. Director:Steven SoderberghWriter:Steven Soderbergh |
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History
Director:
Steven Soderbergh
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| James Spader | ... | ||
| Andie MacDowell | ... | ||
| Peter Gallagher | ... | ||
| Laura San Giacomo | ... | ||
 |
Ron Vawter | ... | |
| Steven Brill | ... | ||
|
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Alexandra Root | ... | |
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Earl T. Taylor | ... |
Landlord
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David Foil | ... |
John's Colleague
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Edit
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Ann is married to John, who is having an affair with her sister Cynthia. Ann's a quiet type and unwilling to let herself go. When John's old friend, Graham, shows up, all their lives change. Graham likes to videotape interviews with women. Written by Rob Hartill
Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
22 September 1989 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Sex, Lies... See more »Filming Locations:
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USABox Office
Budget:
$1,200,000 (estimated)Gross:
$24,741,700 (USA)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Ann: Garbage. All I've been thinking about all week is garbage. I mean, I just can't stop thinking about it.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
David Duchovny and David Hyde Pierce both auditioned for the parts of Graham and John. See more »Goofs
When Anne comes to Graham's apartment to make the tape, she rests on the side of a doorway with her hand in her back pocket. In the next shot, her hand is in her front pocket. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Ann: Garbage. All I've been thinking about all week is garbage. I mean, I just can't stop thinking about it.
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Yes, "Sex, Lies and Videotape" is about sex, lies and videotape. And, while the sex is mostly served in dialogue-form and not a single shot of nudity is present, there is some graphic lying and some explicit videotape. Kinky, right?
Well, not really. "Sex, Lies and Videotape" is Steven Sodenbergh's first film and it's not a bad one. It's just not entirely worthy of the praise it received, at Cannes for example. The situations in the film do create a fair amount of tension that moves the story along. But then, it'd be hard not to have some tension in a film about a woman whose husband is cheating on her with her sister, while she starts interacting with a stranger who is the husband's old college roommate and has a strange videotape fetish and may or may not be a pathological liar. (How do you believe someone who just confessed to having been a pathological liar to not being one anymore? The film doesn't really riddle that one for us.)
Clearly, these characters clash together. But it's not as heated or interesting as it was in later Sodenbergh's films like the spectacular "Traffic." The dialogues in "Sex, Lies and Videotape" range from good to incredibly awkward. But the real strength of the film is the actors. While James Spader clearly stands out - I have never seen him deliver such a subtle performance where every scene simply works for him - Andie McDowell is phenomenal, Peter Gallagher playing the scummy, treacherous husband yuppie lawyer type is great and Laura San Giacomo as the vulgar sister / lover is fabulous. Their performances make the script work, which, under normal circumstances with inferior actors would have seemed rather silly.