[ALL reviews in the forum by Gary Cabana, the Reel Reviewer]
KINSEY
The dust has barely settled on the highly divisive Presidential election and here comes a film subject that remains the ultimate divider - SEX!
3-1/2 stars (out of 4) [(2004)US-Germany/Fox Searchlight/Rated R] - (1 hr. 58 min)
Written & directed by Bill Condon
Lead Characters/Cast
Alfred Kinsey ('Prok') - Liam Neeson
Clara McMillen (Alfred's later wife) - Laura Linney
Wardell Pomeroy - Chris O'Donnell
Clyde Martin - Peter Sarsgaard
Paul Gebhard - Timothy Hutton
Alfred Seguine Kinsey (Alfred's father) - John Lithgow
Review:
ATTENTION PARENTS: Get a babysitter, this is an 'adults only' experience!
While a certain amount of 'editing' was done to bring this film in line with MPAA
guidelines for an R-rating the latter half of the film does contain some strong subject matter including an interview with a pedophile that's sure to make younger audiences squirm.
That said, the film opens with Alfred Kinsey as a very conservative son raised by a 'fire-and-brimstone' ministerial father. Alfred's first act of rebellion is to defy his father's wish to become an engineer by studying insects and doing his graduate thesis on one little known species of wasp.
His determination as a scientist led him to collect a 'million' specimens before writing his final conclusions thus earning a doctorate from Harvard. Sadly, this book based on years of research was one nobody ever read, though it did merit a tenured position at Indiana University in Bloomington.
That's right folks, a midwestern college was about to yield up the most controversial study of human sexual behavior EVER conducted, not a university in New York, San Francisco ... or France for that matter. Kinsey's interest in the subject of sex didn't even occur until after he was married and learned that his 'manhood' was too large for his new bride's womanhood.
They were BOTH virgins and had no knowledge as to what was wrong until meeting with
a doctor who performed a simple operation. However, when discussing sexual matters with other couples it seemed there was still a lot doctors didn't know, so Dr. Kinsey set about studying the subject the same way he did insects ... with subjects, lots of subjects.
He traveled the country surveying men about their sexual proclivities in a very candid manner using a specific one-on-one interviewing technique, processed the data, and produced the tome "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" ... in 1948.
It's only as the second half of the film unfolds that the audience sees how these (now nearly 60 year old) findings initiated the controversy that still rages today. Not to mention that Kinsey's first non-insect book became an unqualified bestseller.
Of course many point to this access to sexual knowledge on a mass scale as the birth of the 'sexual revolution', and now the sons and daughters of those original anti-'Kinsey' forces are preparing to boycott this film as their parents did his books.
No worries film fans, in Hollywood this is known as 'free advertising', just look at what a little 'bad publicity' did for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (over $100 million and counting).
That said, this is an ultimately enjoyable film because it does challenge the notion of
how much knowledge we truly have about what our neighbors may be doing behind
closed doors. Best of all, it accomplishes this task with Oscar-caliber input, from the excellent writing and direction of Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters") to the remarkable ensemble cast featuring Oscar worthy performances by Liam Neeson ("Michael Collins") as 'Kinsey' and Laura Linney ("P.S.") as the wife who showed him that love can't be quantified.
Who knew that the real life of a data-obsessed scientific legend could be so fun to watch, but if you do check it out, please leave the kids (and younger teens) at home!
P.S. (Inside joke) Most ironic casting is having notorious wildman Tim Curry ("Rocky Horror Picture Show") play the prudish anti-Kinsey, sex-hygiene professor who resents Kinsey's interference in his subject area. His first appearance in the film is sure to elicit
unwarranted giggles from 'Dr. Frank-n-furter' fans!
Supporting Characters/Cast
Thurman Rice (Sexual Hygiene prof) - Tim Curry
Herman Wells (University president) - Oliver Platt
Alan Gregg (Rockefeller Foundation rep) - Dylan Baker
Alice Martin (Clyde's wife) - Julianne Nicholson
Kenneth Braun - William Sadler
Martha Pomeroy (Wardell's wife) - Heather Goldenhersh
Huntington Hartford - John McMartin
Sara Kinsey - Veronica Cartwright
Barbara Merkle - Kathleen
Chalfan Agnes Gebhard (Paul's wife) - Dagmara Dominczyk
Final Interview Subject...Lynn Redgrave
Need more info or wish to participate in ongoing studies:
Online sex survey: https://www.indiana.edu/%7Ekinres/mart2/
Links: http://www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/research/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KINSEY
The dust has barely settled on the highly divisive Presidential election and here comes a film subject that remains the ultimate divider - SEX!
3-1/2 stars (out of 4) [(2004)US-Germany/Fox Searchlight/Rated R] - (1 hr. 58 min)
Written & directed by Bill Condon
Lead Characters/Cast
Alfred Kinsey ('Prok') - Liam Neeson
Clara McMillen (Alfred's later wife) - Laura Linney
Wardell Pomeroy - Chris O'Donnell
Clyde Martin - Peter Sarsgaard
Paul Gebhard - Timothy Hutton
Alfred Seguine Kinsey (Alfred's father) - John Lithgow
Review:
ATTENTION PARENTS: Get a babysitter, this is an 'adults only' experience!
While a certain amount of 'editing' was done to bring this film in line with MPAA
guidelines for an R-rating the latter half of the film does contain some strong subject matter including an interview with a pedophile that's sure to make younger audiences squirm.
That said, the film opens with Alfred Kinsey as a very conservative son raised by a 'fire-and-brimstone' ministerial father. Alfred's first act of rebellion is to defy his father's wish to become an engineer by studying insects and doing his graduate thesis on one little known species of wasp.
His determination as a scientist led him to collect a 'million' specimens before writing his final conclusions thus earning a doctorate from Harvard. Sadly, this book based on years of research was one nobody ever read, though it did merit a tenured position at Indiana University in Bloomington.
That's right folks, a midwestern college was about to yield up the most controversial study of human sexual behavior EVER conducted, not a university in New York, San Francisco ... or France for that matter. Kinsey's interest in the subject of sex didn't even occur until after he was married and learned that his 'manhood' was too large for his new bride's womanhood.
They were BOTH virgins and had no knowledge as to what was wrong until meeting with
a doctor who performed a simple operation. However, when discussing sexual matters with other couples it seemed there was still a lot doctors didn't know, so Dr. Kinsey set about studying the subject the same way he did insects ... with subjects, lots of subjects.
He traveled the country surveying men about their sexual proclivities in a very candid manner using a specific one-on-one interviewing technique, processed the data, and produced the tome "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" ... in 1948.
It's only as the second half of the film unfolds that the audience sees how these (now nearly 60 year old) findings initiated the controversy that still rages today. Not to mention that Kinsey's first non-insect book became an unqualified bestseller.
Of course many point to this access to sexual knowledge on a mass scale as the birth of the 'sexual revolution', and now the sons and daughters of those original anti-'Kinsey' forces are preparing to boycott this film as their parents did his books.
No worries film fans, in Hollywood this is known as 'free advertising', just look at what a little 'bad publicity' did for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (over $100 million and counting).
That said, this is an ultimately enjoyable film because it does challenge the notion of
how much knowledge we truly have about what our neighbors may be doing behind
closed doors. Best of all, it accomplishes this task with Oscar-caliber input, from the excellent writing and direction of Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters") to the remarkable ensemble cast featuring Oscar worthy performances by Liam Neeson ("Michael Collins") as 'Kinsey' and Laura Linney ("P.S.") as the wife who showed him that love can't be quantified.
Who knew that the real life of a data-obsessed scientific legend could be so fun to watch, but if you do check it out, please leave the kids (and younger teens) at home!
P.S. (Inside joke) Most ironic casting is having notorious wildman Tim Curry ("Rocky Horror Picture Show") play the prudish anti-Kinsey, sex-hygiene professor who resents Kinsey's interference in his subject area. His first appearance in the film is sure to elicit
unwarranted giggles from 'Dr. Frank-n-furter' fans!
Supporting Characters/Cast
Thurman Rice (Sexual Hygiene prof) - Tim Curry
Herman Wells (University president) - Oliver Platt
Alan Gregg (Rockefeller Foundation rep) - Dylan Baker
Alice Martin (Clyde's wife) - Julianne Nicholson
Kenneth Braun - William Sadler
Martha Pomeroy (Wardell's wife) - Heather Goldenhersh
Huntington Hartford - John McMartin
Sara Kinsey - Veronica Cartwright
Barbara Merkle - Kathleen
Chalfan Agnes Gebhard (Paul's wife) - Dagmara Dominczyk
Final Interview Subject...Lynn Redgrave
Need more info or wish to participate in ongoing studies:
Online sex survey: https://www.indiana.edu/%7Ekinres/mart2/
Links: http://www.indiana.edu/~kinsey/research/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++