Review: Whipped (1999)
[2.5/4.0]
The topic of romance and dating in American society is easily relatable since most young people devote a large amount of energy to dealing with it. Although they both eventually aim towards the common target of marriage, men and women may have different approaches to and attitudes towards dating. Men can be dishonest in their pursuit of women simply to initiate a relationship in which sex plays an important role. This film is about a group of male scammers, men who will do or say anything in order to enter a sexual relationship with a woman, and a woman who infiltrates and disrupts the group.
Four young men meet regularly on Sundays to discuss their dating exploits of the past weekend. Brad (Brian Van Holt) is a Wall Street type with athletic good looks. Zeke (Zorie Barber) is an unemployed writer with a huge ego. Jonathan (Jonathan Abrahams) is less overtly macho, and usually has fewer victory stories. The final individual, Eric (Judah Domke), used to be a core member of the group, but he is now somewhat viewed as an outsider since getting married.
The group's normal existence is perturbed when Brad, Zeke, and Jonathan start dating a woman that they develop serious feelings for. It becomes chaotic when they find they are all dating the same woman, Mia (Amanda Peet). Mia's refusal to choose just one of the three, along with the guys' refusal to give her up undermines their friendship. Eric also becomes involved because the relationships with Mia threaten to disband the men's club that is his only respite from the drudgery of his married life.
The story is basically a comedy, with primarily dialog based humor and witty observations of the almost military tactics that are involved in the dating process. Not all of the gags work, many of them are simply gross or pathetic, but others are creative and insightful. The frank portrayal of jesting character attacks between male friends is accurate and entertaining. It does attempt to present a thoughtful premise as the framework for the plot, namely that men would be miserable if their own tactics were used against them. However, any philosophical issues are only explored in a cursory manner, since they are used simply as a skeleton on which to build the plot rather than as a source of creativity. The intent of the film is mainly to be entertaining, and it succeeds in getting laughs from the audience. It would have been a better film if it had explored the dramatic angle that it pretended it had.
It is often difficult to construct a comedy primarily around dialog, but writer and director Peter M. Cohen is successful in keeping the comedy flowing. Although some of the developments appear contrived and many of the transitions are forced, the humor creates a momentum that propels the plot through its rough points. It is important to note that the raunchy humor could be offensive to viewers who are not comfortable with frank, and often crude, discussions of sexuality. The original cut of the film garnered an NC-17 rating, which was reduced to R after some of the dialog was toned down.
Although the marketing for the film indicates that it is a vehicle for Amanda Peet, the role of Mia is actually less important, and less interesting, than any of the four primary men. Peet is successful in the role, but the character is limited in scope. All the four primary male characters are well portrayed, although they occasionally become exaggerated.
Recommended. The film does not set lofty goals, but it is successful in generating laughs. The humor is primarily based around sexuality and is definitely coarse, so it may not entertain a general audience. Although little sexual content is displayed, the discussions about it are explicit. The film is targeted towards a younger audience which is as obsessed with the opposite sex as the film's characters.
(c) 2000 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://ArtHouseSquatter.com
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