Sharp Stick

As "Sharp Stick" (2022 release; 86 min) opens, we are introduced to Treina and Sarah Jo, sisters in their 20s living at home with mom. Sarah Jo is 26 and still a virgin. She works as a nanny/housekeeper of sorts and one day she makes a move onto Josh, her employer and a married father...

Couple of comments: this is the latest project from writer-producer-director Lena Dunham, who for good measure also stars (as Josh's wife). Even though the movie's premise seems a little unlikely, given the standard of excellence typically exhibited in Dunham's projects, I decided to give this a try. Alas, I shouldn't have. I don't know exactly what happened here, but something went very wrong. Bottom line is that I never bought into any of the characters, least of all Sarah Jo as the 26 yo virgin. And the storyline doesn't feel credible or likely for most of this either. Despite some great acting talent attached to this (including Kristine Froseth. Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Jon Bernthal, just to name those, this movie just didn't do anything for me, sorry...

"Sharp Stick" bypassed US theaters altogether and went straight to VOD upon its release this past summer. It recently started streaming on Hulu, where I caught it. I can't really recommend this to anyone in good conscience. Of course don't take my word for it, so if you are a fan of Dunham's prior output, I'd suggest you check this out (with lowered expectations), and draw your own conclusion.

When I read the synopsis on Sharp Stick, I thought this could be interesting, particularly in the hands of Lena Dunham. There are a few interesting elements here, like when the naive lead character first discovers sex and becomes initially obsessed with porn and makes it her mission to try all of the different sex positions/styles she discovers through porn herself, and tracks that journey via two large posters taped to her bedroom wall. As for the performances they're all solid and contribute something to the overall experience. Personally, the one exception might be Jennifer Jason Leigh. In general, I like her and think she's done some great work, but for me her selection struck me as JJL doing another typical JJL type of work and would have liked to see someone not so expected in this role. The film looked good but the story itself just didn't develop in a way that made me really care much about the characters, but was rather just observing them. The Dunham character and her husband in particular seemed random with no backstory or development. Despite some solid elements Sharp Stick just isn't so sharp.

There's a lot of Lena Dunham haters out there, but I'm actually not one of them, even though I think she's not as clever a writer as she seems to think she is. Nevertheless, I enjoyed TINY FURNITURE, I thought GIRLS was a worthwhile show, her direction of the INDUSTRY pilot was strong. All I'm doing here is establishing that I can be objective about Dunham's work...

Okay...so SHARP STICK. I did not enjoy it. It is a character study of a naive, but damaged young woman named Sarah Jo. She's a 26-year old virgin who had to have a hysterectomy in high school. (My wife endured a similar ordeal, although somewhat later in life, so that part of the story moved me.) But the way Sarah Jo is written came off as completely false to me. Her journey of sexual discovery would have been more interesting if we the audience could determine what exactly of value she learned about herself? She has a dysfunctional blended family that we learn almost nothing about. Why are they the way they are? Is that really Jennifer Jason Leigh and what is she doing here? The sex scenes aren't sexy, the scenes that should be comedic are flat or just plain baffling and at the end of the movie it felt like Dunham thought she had made some grand statement about female sexuality and personal discovery, but I was just confused and kind of grossed out. Skip this if it shows up on your Hulu home page.

Lena Dunham should stop directing movies. Ultimately, the success of a movie with strong feminist themes depends on its execution, the perspective of the viewer, and how well it balances its message with other elements of storytelling. A lot of people may argue that presenting strong feminist themes can be empowering and helps to challenge societal norms, encouraging positive change. However, Dunham fails to create a good quality movie, all of her work is boring and meaningless and fails to even pass a message and educate younger girls (this is a coming of age movie). I am not even sure why I watched it. I believe I was prejudiced before I even saw it.

This was made by the kids that were rejected from the high school drama group. I can't think of a category this doesn't stink. 2/10 for being in focus with clear audio.

The non plot meanders aimlessly as we're slowly and without a hint of subtlety directed to watch the protagonist, because she's obviously going through some stuff. We're also given back story using the heaviest tools... come on... show don't tell!

Overacting from most of the cast can only have come from direction... or maybe the whole cast was high?

I loved Girls, but this isn't even worth your time to find out. Fly a kite, write an awful review or take up building... but give this a miss. 2/10.