Cast: Famke Janssen, Jon Favreau, Noah Emmerich, Ann Magnuson, Cheri Oteri, Josh Hopkins, Robert Knepper, Vincent Ventresca
Director: Valerie Breiman
Producers: Martin J. Barab, Timothy Scott Bogart, Brad Wyman
Screenplay: Valerie Breiman
Cinematography: Adam Kane
Music: Pierpaolo Tiano, Billy White Acre
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Films
During its brief run at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, Love and Sex became one of the event's surprise hits, and attracted the attention of large crowds and more than a few distributors (Canadian-based Lions Gate Films was the eventual winner of the sweepstakes). The breezy romantic comedy, which is the feature debut for writer/director Valerie Breiman, stars Famke Janssen (still best remembered as the incomparable Xenia Onatopp in Goldeneye) and indie favorite Jon Favreau (the man behind Swingers) as the two members of the film's central relationship. While the movie doesn't break into new territory, it mines this familiar ground well, generating numerous laughs and delivering an overall warm, fuzzy feeling. Often quotable film critic Harlan Jacobson described Love and Sex as "a Sandra Bullock movie without Sandra Bullock."
It is said that first-time filmmakers should stick to what they know, and that's one rule Breiman has taken to heart, jokingly referring to Love and Sex as "my sex life on screen." She ruefully admits that many of the female lead's romantic entanglements are based on her own experiences, and calls the process of filming them and displaying them for the world to see as equal parts catharsis and embarrassment. And, although Breiman's admission is designed more as a sound byte than anything else, there's probably some truth to it. Many of Kate's sexual encounters, while presented with a light, comedic flair, have a sense of verisimilitude that similar sequences in other, overplotted romantic comedies lack. She gets the details right, which isn't just important, it's crucial. Of course, there's a happy ending, but the route to get to that point takes a few refreshing detours from the expected path.
Love and Sex's main character is Kate Welles (Janssen), a writer for Monique magazine, where she pens "happy, perky [pieces] on how to find and keep that perfect man." She spends the early part of the film ruminating over a number of failed relationships; in fact, like the female lead in every romantic comedy, she's looking for Mr. Right, but having a hard time finding him. In her words, "It hurts so much to be alone that we'd all rather blow up than be single" - a sentiment that explains her predilection for becoming involved with inappropriate men. Then Adam (Favreau), an artist who creates bizarre paintings, bulldozes his way into her life and heart. "We were instant best friends," Kate rhapsodizes as she recounts the early stages of their relationship - the so-called "honeymoon period" when love rules by day and sex by night. Unfortunately, no two people who remain together can stay in that wonderful place, and things settle down into a dull routine. "The more you're with someone, the more annoying they'll become." Eventually, Adam decides that he is bored with the relationship's stasis and wants to move on. Of course, it's only once the two have separated that they realize how right they were for each other.
In person, Breiman is a bundle of barely contained enthusiasm, and some of that energy comes across in her film. There's also a little Woody Allen at work here. Bits and pieces of Love and Sex (especially those concerning Kate's numerous failed relationships) may remind viewers of some of Allen's earlier, lighter work. Love and Sex will likely receive a warm reception in multiplexes - it's not hard to understand the film's appeal. It's a refreshing, unpretentious romantic comedy that works for what it is, and doesn't try to be more than it is capable of being. Favreau and Janssen both show themselves to be capable in the comedy arena, and, while there isn't much heat between them, they are playful and cute as a couple, and the fact that they were having a good time making the film shines through. Brieman's script contains both insights into relationships and enough genuinely amusing moments to elevate it above the romantic comedy continuum. And, as a date movie, it's hard to find a better selection.
© 2000 James Berardinelli