Strictly Sexual

Thanks again to the IMDb community, since this film came to me via a fellow reviewer in the US – currently on this site it has no UK release date so I suspect I may never have seen it otherwise. However this is not thanks for the quality of the film – only of the gesture. Strictly Sexual has a provocative title and a plot that matches it. It starts with a rather abrupt "future" scene before flashing back to the origins of the story. At this point it has a fun fizz to it that carries you along despite the sheer unlikeliness of the narrative – the gloss and the rather contained nature of it makes it quite engaging.

The problems with it come once this early fizz has settled down a little bit. At stage the film starts to become more of a dramatic affair with the playing out of the drama that inherently comes with any "casual" relationship. In itself this is engaging enough but it never totally rings true and I always felt like I was watching a film with actors in it – it never sucked me into these relationships or gave me things that I could see were real. I have to put this at the door of the script because it is here where this problem comes from. Ultimately it comes down to being a romantic drama but when it is doing the "drama" part, it distracts but never moves.

I don't put this on the cast though because they do as well as they can with the material. The women are the stronger but this may be because they have the dominant characters. Benson does a good job with her character, allowing her to be difficult to understand and a bit conflicted in her signals but yet also keeps her open to the viewer. Kerr has to carry the romance side of the drama and she does this with beauty, lightness and a delicate performance that isn't brilliant but is just what the film needs. I found Long a little heavy in the role and I confess that I though he would have been better handing off to someone else and stick as writer. He is OK though and he works well with Urb, who is a bit too much of a pretty boy but works well with Kerr. The film contains the action really well and the tight focus on these 4 in a handful of locations gives the film a really good feel of watching an intimate play – shame that the material doesn't get as impacting or meaningful as this proximity deserves.

Strictly Sexual is an OK film but it is not as amazing as some here would suggest. The intimate delivery and sexual fizz of the material doesn't transition well when it gets more serious and, when it should suck the viewer in, it only really retains the superficial air that it started with. This is a shame because, while the film feels like it should be better, it ultimately doesn't have the reality and substance that I found myself wanting.

Its a delight to find a movie that's real. Many relationships start with the physical, never go any where, then fizzle out. This movie explores what happens when these two young men ask, where do we go from here? Relationships like people have the ability to grow. Some do, some don't. Why do some relationships gain substance, some stay flat and superficial? Two men begin their relationships with sex and realize that there's so much more to explore. Watching these characters looking for companionship, love, the everything else a relationship can be, makes for a fun date. The acting is super, the sets enjoyable, the music entertaining. All in all this is a real, on target story about life, people and world we live in.

thank god Hollywood (or i guess this is an indie) finally made a movie that shows LOVE like it really is. Painful, infuriating, fun, sad, wonderful. of course i am a woman but not prone to being emo, yet i found myself crying at the end. hard to explain, you have to see it, but it makes you feel okay about falling in love and falling out of love to. highly recommend this movie to men and women. (watched it with my boyfriend and i caught him sniffling at the end too, i swear, he never does that). i heard this director had won the independent spirit award, now i know why. sort of like "the notebook" with comedy, but not goofy comedy, maybe more like "annie hall", or the English movie "love, actually". also very much like "sex and the city" but also the guy's point of view mixed in. can you tell i loved this movie?

I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of this film earlier in the year and it absolutely rocks. It's an edgy, hilarious, ultimately charming romantic comedy. The script, direction and ensemble cast are terrific. Amber Benson delivers what might be the most nuanced performance of her career. Newcomer (and screenwriter) Stevie Long steals scenes in a performance on par with Jon Favreau in Swingers. The structure of the film is reminiscent of Woody Allen's work, particularly Annie Hall and Manhattan, but with a hip, updated feel. The film has been a huge hit in Europe and I hope that carries over in the U.S. Highly recommended! Jason Starr, author of THE FOLLOWER and TWISTED CITY.

this is an unique movie, a great viewing experience for me. initially, from the beginning, i thought it would be more about profanity and prepared to cut after the first fifteen minutes, but then a couple of sharp lines kept my attention and it was well worth it. just by looking at the actors, the camera work and directing you can appreciate the love this movie was made with. the music also helped a lot, by providing a great atmosphere. you cant really define this as a comedy and put it in comparison with 'comedies' like "american pie" and such - "Strictly Sexual" is a story about love, the effect it has and people; how it can make you happy or make you cry...actually i feel the nonsense i started writing, while all i wanted to say is - this is a beautiful movie, i feel like i'd want to watch it again, and again, just like how you want to love and be loved, always