"The Opposite of Sex"

I was not quite sure what to think about this movie at first but after thinking about it a little I have found that it is quite a good movie.  This movie combats many different societal issues but the main one is the issue of homosexuality.  It also depicts teenager rebellion, death of a loved one, and sticking by your family even when you don't want anything to do with them.

First the issue of homosexuality.  This movie does a great job at discussing the true societal view of what society thinks about homosexuality.  Just the way that Christina Ricci's character talks about her brother shows us an inside to what everyone else's views are on this.  Ricci's character (Dede) is very blunt, rude, and a parent's nightmare.  She is constantly making crude remarks about the lifestyles of a homosexual and depicting all these stereotypes that have been formed about them.  Her brother's boyfriend dying of AIDS is just one example of a stereotype talked about during the movie.  The other issue of sticking by a family member is shown when Dede's brother, Bill, (played by Martin Donovan) goes searching for Dede even after she has shown that she wants to get away from him.  Even after shooting someone he is still worried about finding her.

This movie is constantly switching plots from Dede messing around with Bill's new boyfriend to her shooting her stalkerish friend.  Right when you think you know what is going to happen they through a new twist at you keeping you interested in what was going on.  As the book had stated this movie is best viewed as a gender statement by trying to show the typical views people have of gay persons.

Ricci did a great job with her character.  I think she more took the character of Dede and was able to put some of her personality into it instead of just impersonating the character.  Donovan and Lisa Kudrow (Lucia) were more of the lead characters instead of it just being Ricci.  Kudrow was great with her snide remarks and sarcastic looks throughout the movie.  She was the type of comic relief that the movie needed to keep the otherwise dramatic tone somewhat lighter.  Donovan also did a great job with his portrayal of the doormat lover who just let everyone walk all over him.  You expect him to have some kind of mental breakdown throughout the movie but he never has it.  Instead he is able to just keep it all inside and keep going forward.

I really liked how they had Ricci doing a voiceover through most of the movie.  When she pointed out how music can automatically create some kind of emotional response it just made me laugh because that really is the truth.  If you see a sad scene with sad music to go along with it you instantly feel sorry for the person in the scene.  In the book it had asked if a movie shapes society or if a society shapes the move.  I believe that this movie is a prime example of where a movie reflects what is really happening in our society.

Overall this is a pretty good movie, I would say 3 out of 5.  Not nearly as good as my other movie I watched this week but still rather enjoyable with a realistic view to it.