THE OPPOSITE OF SEX (Sony Pictures Classics - 1998) Starring Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Galecki, William Lee Scott, Ivan Sergei Screenplay by Don Roos Produced by David Kirkpatrick, Michael Besman Directed by Don Roos Running time: 105 minutes
**1/2 (out of four stars)
Alternate Rating: B-
Note: Some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers. Be forewarned.
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Several months ago, I received a note from one of my movie sage friends advising me to keep an eye out for Don Roos' feature film debut, THE OPPOSITE OF SEX. "It's your type of film," he cryptically advised without elaborating further, leaving me to wonder exactly what this comment implied about the film, and moreover, about my perceived tastes in general. As the film completed its festival circuit and began to roll out in limited release, I solicited further opinions from trusted friends in New York and Los Angeles, who all agreed it was a worthwhile watch.
So I found myself settling expectantly into a theatre seat at a recent screening of the film, and it didn't take long -- oh, about five minutes -- for me to see their point: I relished the wicked black comedy that opened THE OPPOSITE OF SEX, which sees our lead character preparing for a somber funeral appearance by tweaking at her nipples through the fabric of her dress, followed by paying her final respects to the deceased by tossing her lit cigarette, rocks, and everything else on hand at the lowered casket.
Our lead character is Dedee Truitt (a blonde Christina Ricci), the most deliciously vile antiheroine in an American film since Laura Dern's title character in Alexander Payne's CITIZEN RUTH. This cheerfully nasty sixteen-year old doubles as both protagonist and self-conscious narrator (her knowing voice-overs freely admit she's aware that she's in a movie), and after trashing her late stepfather's funeral, Dedee runs away from her Louisiana home to impose herself on her estranged, much-older half-brother Bill (Martin Donovan), who leads an unassuming life as a schoolteacher. Bill, who's the sort of low-key person that checks rude washroom graffiti for grammatical errors, is openly gay (or "homo", as Dedee puts it), and lives with a handsome young man named Matt (Ivan Sergei) in a spacious house left by Bill's previous companion, Tom (or "the dead guy", as Dedee puts it -- yup, she's a little sweetheart), who passed away from AIDS. Tom's spinster sister, Lucia (Lisa Kudrow), who obviously carries a torch for Bill, teaches at the same school and frequently drops in on the proceedings. Surely enough, Dedee soon wreaks havoc in this sleepy Indiana suburb by bullying the simple-minded Matt into bedding her, announcing her pregnancy, and promptly absconding with Bill's life savings, Matt, and Tom's ashes, sending Bill and Lucia in hot pursuit.
Mr. Roos, a veteran screenwriter whose credits feature strong female characters in films such as SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh), LOVE FIELD (Michelle Pfeiffer's Oscar-nominated turn), and BOYS ON THE SIDE (Drew Barrymore, Whoopi Goldberg and Mary-Louis Parker), predictably has a sure hand with his fascinating female characters in his directorial debut, but the film's sketchier male characters are much less interesting. Dedee is a wonderfully awful creature -- the film suffers during the often too-long periods when she's offscreen -- and Lucia is imbued with an observant, lashing tongue and a semblance of actual character complexity; none of the men are nearly as compelling.
The great strength of THE OPPOSITE OF SEX are the terrific nasty one-liners which freely zing back and forth, mostly from the mouths of its two major female characters, although everybody gets into the act to some degree. The film's screenplay doesn't play it safe; it offends with utter abandon, and many of the barbs are such perfectly-timed, wicked little gems that one gets the feeling that Mr. Roos has been accumulating these clever rejoinders and memorable witticisms for just the opportune occasion. Many of the lines are so funny that it comes as a bit of a shame that the film's plot isn't as sharp, particularly the final third which lacks the flair and bite of the opening reels and builds to a conclusion which seems unearned. The film is at its best during its opening half, unspooling as an acerbic, pitch black comic romp.
Gleefully rotten, unapologetically rude and self-absorbed, moonfaced Ms. Ricci has already assembled a sizable list of similarly sarcastic characters in her filmography, and she's perfectly cast here in the showy role of bitchy sexpot Dedee. Also impressive is Ms. Kudrow, who continues to emerge as an interesting actress and demonstrates great comic timing in a more deadpan role. Her feature film performances over the past few years has been consistently more unique and skilled than any of her FRIENDS castmates.
One of the more interesting aspects of THE OPPOSITE OF SEX is its propensity to deconstruct itself via Dedee's cynical, mocking narration. "If you think I'm just plucky and scrappy and all I need is love, you're in over your head," she warns at the outset. It's an odd narrative approach which, while occasionally grating, is often refreshing. Consider her voice-over accompanying the film's obligatory Sad Montage, which invariably takes place at about the midpoint of a given movie, and in this case features a forlorn Bill mournfully brooding, stopping only to wistfully sniff at his lover's T-shirt. Traditionally hokey stuff, to be sure -- but as Dedee points out, it's better than showing Bill paying his bills.
- Alex Fung
email: aw220@freenet.carleton.ca
web : http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
--
Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca) | http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~aw220/
"Only a twerp would castigate an audience for its enjoyment of something."
- Pauline Kael
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