A Little Sex

I saw this film on the Retroplex movie channel a little over a month ago; I was curious to see what Kate Capshaw's movie debut (before "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom") was like (I didn't see "A Little Sex" when it was in theaters in March 1982). Also, I had read various reviews about "A Little Sex" beforehand, which were mostly negative.

The critics were right: *This film sucked!*

A sampling:

One reviewer said this sorry flick was "(so) full of clichés it's pathetic." Us Magazine put it in their "Don't Bother" column and likened the film to "(a) sitcom which would have worked better on the small screen." Yet another reviewer called "A Little Sex" " (a) nearsighted sexual soap opera with a (snickering and) cynical view of relationships and fidelity." The Catholic News Service's movie rating system rightfully classified the film "morally offensive" (that rating system was administered at that time by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting). And, I also remember (the late) Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave it only 2 stars, meaning barely tolerable.

In fact, this film was so bad - and, as they used to say on "Match Game," "How bad was it?" - it was so bad that the theater in Homewood, Illinois where it was playing (Cineplex Odeon's Diana 3, which I understand - along with the mall in which it was contained, Washington Square - was demolished in the early 2000's) yanked "A Little Sex" off after only one week and replaced it with the *much* better "Chariots of Fire," which won the Oscar for the Best Picture of 1981.

And as for the reader who was expecting to see "boobies" but was disappointed: Well, after all, this was an MTM Enterprises production, and apparently they were trying to transfer their "quality" aura from their TV productions onto the big screen. Still, that "quality" formula *didn't* work in this film, and it certainly couldn't help "A Little Sex" escape its well-deserved R rating. (MTM made only two more big-screen films after "A Little Sex," which were "Just Between Friends" in 1986, starring Mary Tyler Moore and Ted Danson and released by Orion Pictures - but now owned by MGM - and "Clara's Heart" in 1988, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Neil Patrick Harris and released - and still owned - by Warner Bros. Of the two, only "Just Between Friends" was successful, but not by very much.)

But, as the saying goes, "You have to start somewhere," and most of the actors and actresses *indeed* went on to better things. Kate Capshaw, of course, starred as Willie Scott in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" two years later, and eventually became Mrs. Steven Spielberg, as well as the mother of actress Jessica Capshaw and part-owner of DreamWorks Pictures. John Glover starred in "My Dinner With Andre" shortly after this film, and had a co-starring role in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" in 1990. And, (the late) Bruce Paltrow, who "directed" the film, later became the father of actress Gwyneth Paltrow; he directed Gwyneth and Huey Lewis in the somewhat-better "Duets" 18 years later. Tim Matheson, on the other hand, starred in another forgettable flop the following year, "Up the Creek," and had difficulty trying to land another big role in feature films. He did mostly TV movies after that, the best one being "The Littlest Victims" in 1989.

And, for those who weren't aware, MTM Enterprises is now *out of business;* in 1998 they were bought out by 21st Century Fox, Inc. (then doing business as NewsCorp) and absorbed into 20th Century Fox. However, "A Little Sex" was co-bankrolled and released by Universal Pictures (perhaps MTM chose Universal to distribute "A Little Sex" because Mary Tyler Moore herself began her big-screen career at Universal in the mid-60's; the most notable films in which she co-starred in for the studio were "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and "Change of Habit"), and Universal eventually wound up owning the film (it was most likely a 60/40 split, the 40% owned by MTM and the remainder by Universal). Universal Pictures Home Entertainment now distributes "A Little Sex" on DVD, and NBC Universal Television Distribution syndicates the film for regular broadcast television, cable and satellite.

But - on the bright side - "A Little Sex" is one less turkey 20th Century Fox has to worry about owning (and God knows Fox already has *plenty* in their long history; the notorious "Myra Breckinridge" quickly comes to mind in that department, but that's another story). Pity Universal!

The main character (throughout this statement referred to as Slick) was definitely a jerk and The flick is dated as hell. His brother, though, gave two of the best explanations of the screwed up male psyche that I've heard (not exclusive to flicks). It kind of reminded me of Roger's comments in "Roger Dodger"(except less biased). The lack of boobies disturbed me because it was a rated R eighties flick. Slick's wife was a little too much of a shrew ( nice rear upper thigh area though). The fellow from 'The Princess Bride' (y'know, the Sicilian) in a buddy role is great. I understand that this movie isn't great, but one has to root for Otter and

there is some very good dialog. Scabldeboo!

A lighthearted romp that is lots of fun. Great chemistry between Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw. One of the early movies that launched Kate's career. I haven't seen this film in a while and am looking forward to seeing it again to see Wendie Malick in one of her first roles.

A Little Sex (1982): Starring Tim Matheson, Kate Capshaw, John Glover, Edward Herrmann, Joan Copeland, Susanna Dalton, Wendie Malick, Wallace Shawn, Sharon Bamber, Betsy Aidem, Tanya Berezin, Michael Bias, Kim Von Brandenstein, Christy Brown, Barbara Bratt, Leigh Curran, Robert Burr, Frankie Faison, Sarah Felcher, Sharon Foote, Lisa Dunsheath, Dona Fowler, Sam Gray, James Greene, Delphi Harrington, Frances Helm, Carolyn Houlihan, Elva Josephson, Wayne Kell, Ann Lange, Sagan Lewis, Merry Loomis, Renee Lippin, Ronald Maccone, Geretta Geretta, J. Frank Lucas, Carolyn Perry, Nick Petron, Don Phillips, Isabel Price, John Tillinger, Bill Smitrovich...Director Bruce Paltrow, Screenplay Robert De Laurentiis.

From 1982, Director Bruce Paltrow's "A Little Sex" is not a very well-known or even memorable film but it is without a doubt a very well-made romantic comedy/drama about the "myth of monogamy" and the natural inclination to cheat - and its effects on a marriage. The film stars Tim Matheson and Kate Capshaw as Michael and Katherine, who have enjoyed a long relationship together even before they tie the knot. But Michael does not hide the fact he's a womanizer and sex addict, cheating on Katherine during their pre-married relationship. Because Katherine is genuinely in love with him, she is willing to overlook this and believes that perhaps marriage will change things. Michael, too, believes that marriage will change him. Sexual infidelity and promiscuity is compared to Michael's smoking habit (and everyone else's' smoking habits). He quits for a while when he gets married but he cannot fight it for too long. His best friend, Tommy (Edward Herrmann) advises him in a rather liberal-minded way and their conversations- usually on a walk through New York City's Central Park- are possibly the most thought-provoking part of the film. The film's theme of a man's transformation from womanizer to monogamous husband is well captured and despite the nearly Woody Allen Hollywood-ness, is actually very realistic. We genuinely feel for Katherine and understand how hurt she feels when she discovers Michael's betrayal. The film not only boasts a fine script (courtesy of writer Robert De Laurentis), but meaningful visuals/cinematography by Ralf D. Bode, whose depiction of New York City at the beginning of the 1980's is not only truthful and atmospheric, but it's part of the story itself, like a character itself. The "irony" scenes in which Michael walks down the streets of New York are masterful. The first of these scenes, which are not realistic but seem to prove a point, is when he is married but finds temptation everywhere in the ridiculous excess of women coming out of taxi cabs, walking down the street, flirting with him, looking at him with lust, showing him what he can no longer have and what he really wants at this point. After he cheats on her, with Philomena (played by Wendie Malick (Nina Von Horne from "Just Shoot Me" and a lesser-known actress) an oboist for the New York Philharmonic, he comes to regret it, especially because his wife has now filed for divorce. Feeling sorry that he has lost the real love of his life in a stupid act of meaningless sex, he walks down the same streets and this time he sees happy couples who are deeply in love, something he now wants but cannot have. Before this film gets too depressive- and it can seem this way, especially with the sad look toward the end and melancholy classical-style music by Georges Delerue- the couple are once again drawn to each other after finally being able to put this mistake behind. For any fan of Tim Matheson, who was actually a versatile actor, considering he was in "Animal House" and "Up The Creek"- which are not at the level of this film- this is real treat. Kate Capshaw is magnificent and sympathetic. This is a moving film about innocence lost, about finding happiness and meaning after a near lifetime of meaningless pursuits of pleasure. This is a great film and one I highly recommend for married couples and for dating couples.

Tim Matheson loves women, I mean, he loves women. Enter Kate Capshaw, his latest girlfriend. She wants to get married, but he can't commit. This might sound like just another excuse to make another stupid and forgettable sex-pic with plenty of nudity. But, actually it's better than it sounds, with very little nudity save for a neighbor who vacuums in the nude. Tim exudes his usual charm. In fact, despite his flaws, he is more interesting than Kate Capshaw's character. Maybe, because of his flaws. But the highlights of the picture are his talks with his brother, played by Edward Herrmann (Gilmore Girls, Big Business) on walks through New York. His brother, being a psychiatrist, loves to analyze him and tell him what he's doing wrong. Their rapport on screen is very natural, and their conversations are well written. You really see them as brothers. If you want an enjoyable film with an 80s outlook on sex, look no further. You could do a lot worse.