(spoiler alert) Not that I actually think I'm going to reveal anything this time around, but this is my first review in awhile and I've just discovered that IMDb insists that you put a warning up here.
Of all the movies I've seen, of all the films that I love, this would seem to be the one that's most misunderstood on here.
For some reason a lot of people (even Stephen Baldwin, one of the stars in the thing who's since gotten religion, and is now disavowing the film) think this is some kind of soft-porn film. It isn't, not at all.
So half the people, the ones that wanted it to be a porn film, are disappointed, and the other half, without even having bothered seeing the film, say that it's immoral.
This isn't a porn film at all. It's about friendship. It's one of the most on-the-mark movies about friendship that I've ever seen.
Is there sex involved? Yes, of course. In case you've never noticed, we (and every other critter on the planet) are sexual beings, it's an urge in all of us.
And if anyone would actually watch the film and just pay attention, it isn't all about overcoming inhibitions and setting free your desires; by the end of the film it becomes apparent that there are prices to be paid. (Well, I guess that was a spoiler, of sorts. But what's with this "spoiler" thing, anyway? There isn't a film book in the world that discusses, say, "Psycho" without giving away the ending! Since when has it become so important to not say anything about the movie? Hell, "Threesome" is about two guys and a girl..."SHHH!!! You're spoiling it for me!" LOL) Anyway, it has a very witty yet believable script and wonderful performances by all the actors (including, I must add, one of the most erotic scenes I've ever seen in my life, the one in the library. This might not be porn, but Lara was hot as hell back then!) And, by the end (if you're paying attention, and not assuming or hoping that it was a porn film) you're left on this terribly moving bittersweet note. Times change, people move on.
This was a wonderful movie (if misunderstood), much better than its immediate rival that came out around the same time, "Reality Bites." In the end, the thing that the film is truly about is how ephemeral things can be. It can't show you, vividly, how things can fall apart, it can't make you feel for them or what will happen to and between them without spending the first 80 or so minutes putting them together. After all of that, you realize the tragedy and frailty of friendships and loves.
And, in the end, that is truly what the movie is about.
And, in the end, that's what life is all about.
