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Better Than Sex

2000, Movie, 84 mins

Better Than Sex: Review

BETTER THAN SEX
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Though this comedy-drama about Aussie singletons who think they know everything about love and sex aims to be shockingly frank, it's no more explicit than CENTER OF THE WORLD, AN AFFAIR OF LOVE or INTIMACY, and it's a whole lot sweeter. Which is a good thing, as far as it goes — at least its wholesomely randy protagonists don't make sex look like work or a form of self-abasement. The film's greatest assets are leads Susie Porter and David Wenham, whose considerable personal appeal make its trite observations about the war of the sexes seem charming, at least for a while. Plucky Sydney seamstress Cin (Porter) thinks she's through with love, which isn't to say she's not up for some zipless fun with photographer Josh (Wenham), whom she meets at a party. Josh is going back to London in three days, which seems to rule out any chance of unwelcome entanglements. But their one-night stand turns into something more complicated: Between vigorous couplings, Cin and Josh discover that they genuinely like each other. They spend a day together, then another night, and the next day as well. Could this be love? And if it is, what are they going to do about it? Since the action is restricted almost entirely to Cin's bohemian apartment, the film is constantly in danger of becoming claustrophobic. First-time feature writer-director Jonathan Teplitzky counters by bringing in Cin's slutty friend Sam (Catherine McClements) for a visit, incorporating the observations of a wise taxi driver (Kris McQuade), and staging a series of short, direct-to-the-camera monologues by Cin, Josh and a Greek chorus of their friends, all of whom dissect aspects of their sex lives with considerable candor. Teplitzky probably envisioned his film as a bold yet light-hearted look at the frustrations of trying to find your soulmate in a world where sex can seem less threatening than a declaration of love. But when you come down to it, its hoary insights — like "men are slobs" and "women can never decide what to wear on a date" — have been the stuff of sitcoms since the seven words you couldn't say on television were taboo in movies as well. Times have changed: Topics and words that would have made your grandma blush are nothing shocking to a generation raised on Margaret Cho and Sex and the City. leave a comment --Maitland McDonagh
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