Bill Condon's new film about the pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey opens in U.S. theaters roughly three weeks after the re-election of George W. Bush. The timing seems almost tragic. Much like Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake," which explores the dire consequences of illegal abortions, Condon's movie addresses a liberty Americans take for granted but may soon have to give up: sex education.
It made me sad to watch an impassioned, spiky-haired Liam Neeson in the title role, trying to explain to a pair of newlyweds that oral sex will not give them cancer. Already, the film is under attack for its frank approach, and to see the strict Fifties morals on screen and off is an indication of the direction we're headed in. Sixties years later, we could use another dose of Kinsey's common sense to remind us that abstinence is not the only healthy option.
That said, "Kinsey" is just a movie, and a well-made one at that. The film, produced by Fox Searchlight, has a slick Hollywood sheen to it, replete with sweeping theme music, lush cinematic shots of the redwood trees, and terrific performances by big name actors. Neeson and Laura Linney as his liberal-minded wife Clara share a terrific chemistry. The actors age together seamlessly, and although Linney suffers the indignity of wearing a terrible wig for most of her time on screen, their fictional marriage rings strong and true. Peter Sarsgaard, who has been stealing films with supporting roles ("Garden State," "Shattered Glass"), nearly does it again as Kinsey's bisexual assistant.
It's hard to pin down why, after all this praise, I didn't particularly enjoy "Kinsey." The current political climate is only part of it. (There is little doubt in my mind that Kinsey's frank talk about sex will only preach to the converted.) There is something inherently predictable and confining about the biopic: our hero will rise above the circumstances of his youth, achieve incredible success, overcome obstacles, confront his demons (in this case his father, played by John Lithgow), and make final peace with himself. It is a tried and true formula, but it makes "Kinsey" seem like a generic film, which is a hard trick considering the subject matter.
In fact, "Kinsey" is at its best when the main characters are doing the deed themselves. Alfred Kinsey not only traveled the country to collect thousands of varied sexual histories from American men and women, he also engaged in his own private study. In the bedroom, our able scientist is just a fumbling, eager participant, experiencing the physical pleasure and, at times, emotional pain of a complicated biological act.
