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Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)
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Reviews Counted:32
Fresh:31
Rotten:1
Average Rating:7.9/10
Synopsis: Steven Soderbergh explodes onto the scene with this provocative, intelligent drama about infidelity and voyeurism. Ann Milaney (Andie MacDowell) lives in a comfortable Louisiana home with her... Steven Soderbergh explodes onto the scene with this provocative, intelligent drama about infidelity and voyeurism. Ann Milaney (Andie MacDowell) lives in a comfortable Louisiana home with her lawyer husband, John (Peter Gallagher). She spends her days fretting over the insurmountable problems of the world and her own unfocused sense of melancholy. Although she doesn't know it, she has a good reason to be upset: John is having a torrid affair with her younger, more extroverted sister, Cynthia (the sexy Laura San Giacomo). When Graham Dalton (James Spader), an old college pal of John's, comes to visit, all three are momentarily distracted from personal problems and intrigues as they scrutinize the odd outsider. Ann soon discovers that Graham has some strange habits and problems of his own. Plagued by impotency since the calamitous breakup of his last relationship, the young drifter finds sexual gratification by videotaping women willing to talk about their sexual past and fantasies in front of the camera. A chain of attraction and jealousy develops as the four interconnect in several varied pairings, culminating with Ann's decision to become Graham's latest subject. Soderbergh's highly influential debut independent feature plays like a dangerous thriller that builds in tension until everyone's secrets are bitterly exposed. [More]
Starring: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo
Starring: James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Screenwriter: Steven Soderbergh
Reviews for Sex, Lies and Videotape
A Liaisons Dangereuses for the video age, Soderbergh's impressive debut is a tale of desire, anxiety, and deception, in which the camera of a sexually impotent man becomes the lead player and a natural, Antonioni-like storytelling device.
Steven Soderbergh didn't just launch the whole movies-with-all-lowercase-titles craze (as it's commonly written), he also launched the '90s rebirth of independent cinema with this singular effort.
A film whose enormous authority and intelligence extend to every detail.
I was somewhat let down by the film as a whole, which seems to feign more than it actually achieves.
Latest News for Sex, Lies and Videotape
July 20, 2007:
Catalina Sandina Morena Joins Soderbergh's Che Films
Did you know that Steven Soderbergh was making a movie about Che Guevara? Starring Benicio Del Toro in the title role? Yeah, me too. But somehow I missed the news that he was... More...
March 16, 2007:
"Ocean's 13" Set to Debut at Cannes
If you wanted to be one of the first to see the year's biggest confluence of star power on a single screen, you'd better start shopping for a ticket to France -- Variety reports... More...
December 28, 2006:
25 New Films Enter National Film Registry ... Good Ones, Too!
Every year another 25 films are chosen for "National Film Registry" designation, and it's a pretty big honor to be on that list. I suppose one could look at it like... More...
November 22, 2005:
Fox Searchlight Digs the "Phat Girlz"
Fresh out of my inbox comes a press release from Fox Searchlight that informs us of a movie called "Phat Girlz," which stars Mo'Nique, Eric Roberts, Jack Noseworthy,... More...
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