Movie Review

Kinsey

It?s great to walk into a film a bit skeptical and immediately feel refreshed that your gut instinct was wrong. I wasn?t sure if I was going to like this film, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the teaser to Kinsey was pretty bland, and the official trailer made it look like a relatively straightforward, cutesy picture. Though its topic was sex (which not many films discuss), a topic that could be fairly intriguing if done right, it looked like the kind of cute flick a la Chocolat geared toward the old people who decide what gets nominated at the Oscars. Being ?cute? (with an ensemble cast) rarely hurts a film in that regard, but luckily this film is more than just that.

The film is a look at the life of Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson), a controversial figure in the late 1940?s who attempted to make sexual discussions an accepted, comfortable activity. In that era, not a lot of people were accepting to this idea and many folks had a guilty suppression concerning their own sexuality. Many people also had misconceptions about what was considered right and what was considered inappropriate in terms of sexual urges. The film dives into sexuality intimately, observing how conditions were in those days, and it even suggests that times have not really changed when it comes to inaccurate beliefs and openly discussing sex.

The film gets to the point right away, which was one of the things I liked most about Kinsey. It has a classy introduction (partly due to the cinematography) and both the writing and acting is strong. Part of the film is told through interviews with Kinsey and sessions of which he is preparing other fellows to conduct interviews concerning sex (which are filmed in black and white), and the other part (filmed in color) involves Kinsey?s own past that led him to this point. The film moves along at a nice, addicting pace and balances light and cute story elements with mature issues, and rarely goes too far with the cutesy components (a moment or two did for me).

Unlike Ray (C+), to which I was very disappointed at its light story and tone, Kinsey (as a film) doesn?t always play it so safe, which makes it a treat. The film does have a bit in common with Seabiscuit (B-) and A Beautiful Mind (B-) in terms of style and mood (and borders sentimental on a few occasions), but unlike Seabiscuit its outline isn?t so much of a no-brainer. While I liked Seabiscuit the second time I saw it (I first thought it was torturously predictable), some of the underdog elements of the story got played a bit too heavily for my taste and I thought parts of the film were too cute. With A Beautiful Mind, Russell Crowe led the way with a really good performance and the film was diverting, but I thought the story was rather straightforward.

Kinsey is like A Beautiful Mind in terms of the spot-on performance, but the concept here is more provocative. Liam Neeson gives what might be his best performance to date (it?s up there with Schindler?s List) in what could be labeled as superb. There?s never a moment when he?s not in character, and he commands the screen. Supporting performances by Laura Linney and Peter Saarsgard are also solid, though I still think Linney?s best work is in You Can Count on Me (B+).

Neeson should be pretty close to a shoe-in for a Best Actor nomination, and while I think Jamie Foxx (for Ray) will be there too, I don?t think Foxx is a shoe-in to win. It will be an interesting race, as Foxx has an advantage being as though Ray Charles passed away (along with the fact that he gave an awesome performance), but Foxx is still young. Considering Neeson?s age and some of his previous roles, the Academy might give the honor to him as more of a Lifetime Achievement Award, which is (partly) why I think Johnny Depp got nominated for Pirates of the Caribbean.

This film is about sex and doesn?t really hold back in that regard. There are explicit conversations, and explicit visuals of sexual activity as demonstrations of Kinsey?s theories. I remember seeing the foreign film, Y Tu Mama Tambien, and being rather taken aback at the extensive sex talk; and at the time I didn?t really believe the notion that people actually talked like that. Kinsey (as a film) goes to prove the difference in viewpoints from person to person. The film can spark conversations on the matter, and even debate concerning the current culture, which is more than most films manage to accomplish once you walk out of the theater.

Kinsey is a decent candidate for a Best Picture nomination considering its ensemble cast, the performances by them, and the talent behind the scenes (Bill Condon, who wrote and directed, penned the screenplay for Chicago and also wrote and directed Gods and Monsters). But though the film is an intriguing commentary on a precious subject, it never really says anything groundbreaking. It gets by being entertaining and thought provoking and is rather classy, but the material we learn isn?t necessarily heavy; but on the average week, that is a solid description to hear for a movie. This is a good script handed to the right actors, handled by the right director, which, while perhaps expected at a season like this, is sure a nice relief.

Lee's Grade: B
Ranked #15 of 120 between The Brown Bunny (#14) and Hotel Rwanda (#16) for 2004 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%