Sex Is Comedy (2002) - film review

Jeanne is a middle-aged film director who is having difficulty with her latest film, a romantic drama entitled “Scènes intimes”.  As the title suggests, the film features a number of explicit love scenes, but, unfortunately for Jeanne, her two lead actors are having difficulty playing these scenes…

After a series of shocking romantic dramas, featuring some of the most sexually explicit material to be made for mainstream cinema, Catherine Breillat made this curious pseudo-documentary in which she attempts to demystify the process of shooting sex films.  Whilst the film is occasionally illuminating and sometimes very funny, it is marred by a sense of navel-contemplating pretentiousness which becomes increasingly aggravating as the film progresses.  Breillat has been condemned for the way in which she portrays and degrades men in her films, and this film, which diminishes a male actor to the mere wearer of an oversized prosthetic penis, will presumably add more fuel to that particular prejudicial fire.  Anne Parillaud’s totally flat and uninspired performance doesn’t help matters and creates a rather unfavourable impression of Breillat herself, since Parillaud is evidently speaking with Breillat’s voice.  The film has some entertainment value, if viewed from a wry, ironic perspective, but it says surprisingly little about the creative process or mechanics of making a film.  A wasted opportunity.

© James Travers 2004

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