Scenes of a Sexual Nature

Scenes of a Sexual Nature has the makings of a lovely British drama - a more subtle and less schmaltzy version of Love Actually, maybe. Indeed, it has a cast as strong as that of Love Actually - even if less filled with stars - and a wittier, more intelligent script. The terrific writing and wonderful chemistry between the actors (who include Ewan McGregor alongside slightly-lesser-known character actors like Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Catherine Tate, Eileen Atkins, Andrew Lincoln, Gina McKee and Benjamin Whitrow) make almost every scene a pleasure; whatever the movie has, works.

Unfortunately, it just has too little. There's some hint of a connection between the various stories once or twice, but it feels forced, and there's no real thematic connection either; and because stylistically it's completely plain and simple, there's no stylistic connection either (the kind that works well in Jim Jarmusch films). Which makes the whole movie little more than a series of short skits, most of which don't have any satisfying ending or real message or theme, leaving the viewer unsatisfied and a little bit hollow. There's just no real movie here. It's a decent watch and has some good scenes, but in the end it's more frustrating than it is enjoyable.