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Sex Is Comedy

  • 2002
  • R
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
Sex Is Comedy (2002)
A director struggles to film a difficult, intimate sex scene between two actors who happen to hate each other.
Play trailer1:36
1 Video
20 Photos
ComedyDramaRomance

A director struggles to film a difficult, intimate sex scene between two actors who happen to hate each other.A director struggles to film a difficult, intimate sex scene between two actors who happen to hate each other.A director struggles to film a difficult, intimate sex scene between two actors who happen to hate each other.

  • Director
    • Catherine Breillat
  • Writer
    • Catherine Breillat
  • Stars
    • Anne Parillaud
    • Grégoire Colin
    • Roxane Mesquida
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    3.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Catherine Breillat
    • Writer
      • Catherine Breillat
    • Stars
      • Anne Parillaud
      • Grégoire Colin
      • Roxane Mesquida
    • 34User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:36
    Trailer

    Photos20

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    + 16
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    Top cast20

    Edit
    Anne Parillaud
    Anne Parillaud
    • Jeanne
    Grégoire Colin
    Grégoire Colin
    • The Actor
    Roxane Mesquida
    Roxane Mesquida
    • The Actress
    Ashley Wanninger
    Ashley Wanninger
    • Leo, the first assistant
    Dominique Colladant
    • Willy
    Bart Binnema
    • Director of Photography
    Yves Osmu
    • The sound engineer
    Elisabete Piecho
    Elisabete Piecho
    • Continuity Girl
    Francis Selleck
    • Production Manager
    • (as Francis Seleck)
    Diane Scapa
    • The production designer
    Ana Lorena
    • The make-up artist
    Claire Monatte
    • The other make-up artist
    • (as Claire Monnatte)
    Arnaldo Junior
    • The chief electrician
    Elisabete Silva
    • The boom operator
    Júlia Fragata
    • The set dresser
    Bruno Ramos
    • The assistant camera
    Alfredo 'Alebé' Ramalho
    • A grip
    • (as Alfredo Ramalho)
    Rudolfo Santos
    • A grip
    • Director
      • Catherine Breillat
    • Writer
      • Catherine Breillat
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews34

    5.73.1K
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    Featured reviews

    7talkingada

    the art of Breillat

    As being selected during the Quinzaine des réalisateurs, this year 2002, Catherine Breillat is masterfully halvedivided of her autobiographical film, there where her lead actress, Anne Parillaud (La Femme NIKITA, Luc Besson), embodies admirably the Film Director of "Intimate Scenes ".

    This is a comedy of actors' manners. Making-Of ? Film genre ? Pornography or Exhibitionism? Sex Is Comedy is a post modern film, with its script based on a film within the film. As an implosive story of a minimalist love scene, the film is built with a constant solidarity of the forms and the spirit, in which, Breillat keeps on breaking and analyzing the taboos. Using visual codes and certain sense of the formula, Catherine Breillat implement her clinical analysis of the sexuality as an isolated problem outside the society to be communicate by the door of the heart.

    Therefore, Grégoire Colin (Good Work, Nénette et Boni, Claire Denis, The Dreamlife of Angels, Eric Zonca) in the role of the Actor and Roxanne Mesquida (Fat girl, Catherine Breillat, Marie from the Bay of Angels, Manuel Prada), the Actress, are actors whom she invents, she does clarify in an interview. Breillat observes the man in front of him even, a chaste man. Then Breillat films the shame and the sexual mutilation, but also a big hope, a disturbing dimension of the ecstasy, a nudity of the feelings, the halving of the exhibitionism, playing to be one to be one. The Director is finally expected to lead the actors to give their feelings, their body and their soul. So arranged, facing the problem of the order of "who I am ", the actors of Breillat put on an inorganic vitality to merge in her work in progress. But, for what is a shape of incredible exorcism, for an actor, Breillat puts many questionings. Enduring at the same moment a big suffering, the actors appear to be the ones who look for this loving transport to be part of the eternity of their work.

    The Art of Breillat is of researcher, to know how to undertake in a dialogue aiming at pushing away the limits of intimate scenes. Join make-up, prosthesis in erection and syndicates are not without reminding what pictures and scenes of Jan Steen's and Rembrandt could be in the anecdotal and the daily of characters on a shooting set. While the moral categories disappear from the background of Sex Is Comedy, Breillat succeeds in revealing the loving imitation power of the actors in a landscape of formidable and dramatic humanity.
    6philip_vanderveken

    Don't think that you know what kind of movie this is, just by reading the title.

    I had certain expectations when reading the title of this movie. No, I didn't think it would be a porn movie, but I hoped it would be a light-footed comedy about relations and sex. But big was my surprise when I actually saw it. It hasn't much to do with comedy or relationships. It's about Jeanne, a female film director who has a lot of troubles with her two main actors. They both hate each other, but are asked to play a difficult sex scene together. She has written and created the scene and knows exactly what she wants but she isn't able to make them do it right...

    If you ask yourself why this movie has such a confusing title then, I'll explain to you what might have happened. Even though this is a French movie with French dialogs, the title is in English. However, I guess they have translated the title too literally. In French it would be something like: "Sex, c'est jouer la comédie", which could be translated as "Sex is faking it". That would make a lot more sense, because the actors have to pretend they like each other and that they like to have sex together while in reality they can't stand each other and don't want to do it.

    The main problem that I had with this movie was that much didn't happen. It was all talking, talking and even more talking. I'm not saying that I wanted a big sex scene or a huge car chase, but this movie just seemed to drag on eternally, without offering something special. Normally I like European movies, but this one really didn't do it for me. Somehow I couldn't really care for the different characters, even though they didn't do a bad job. I give this movie a 6/10.
    6=G=

    All about a director directing a film and little more.

    "Sex is Comedy" is an open ended light drama about a film director, Parillaud (Nikita), working on a film toward the sex scene between her young male and female leads. There's no story in this film which simply shows how a director might work with her cast and crew while trying to squeeze, cajole, or otherwise evoke the nuances she desires from the a recalcitrant male lead and his reluctantly willing partner while wrangling cameras and crews and the foibles which beset a film director at work. This film conjures some insights into what being a film director involves and the hard work required of cast and crew while making a film and, I suppose, the techniques and methods of this film's director, Brelliat. There are similarities between the sex scene in this film and that in another Brelliat film, "Fat Girl", which is little more than noteworthy. "Sex is Comedy" doesn't walk on the edge of pornography as do other Brelliat films and will be of most interest to those interested in film direction Brelliat style. (B-)
    8Chris_Docker

    Fascinating insights under the guise of entertaining comedy

    Another fabulous movie from Catherine Breillat, this time about the difficulties of shooting a sex scene in a movie. Using comedy – a new genre for Breillat – we get a backstage view of filmmaking but in documentary style. The character who plays the director in the movie is based on Breillat, the sex scene in question is taken from her earlier film ‘A Ma Soeur' as is the main teenage actress. But the film, like all of Breillat's work, is not entertainment alone. It is peppered with philosophical observations on the nature of sexuality as well as demonstrating a devotion to ‘purity' (as opposed to pornography) that is a cornerstone of Breillat's work and a devotion to real emotion. We see the director character harangue the young lead actress and actor to bring the best out in them, hypnotising them into the parts they need to play, bringing out part of themselves that the director can see in them but they cannot see in themselves until they achieve the heights of acting that she demands of them. She makes meaningful movies, not titillation, but she shows the work that is needed to produce this, and so gives us insights both into the (decidedly French) film making process and the psychology of male – female sexuality.
    tedg

    Her Best

    All of us, and certainly most filmmakers are trapped in small worlds. But it must be hell to be trapped in one that society recognizes as such. Breillat makes sometimes sensitive movies, all from within this tight shell, all with the same screams.

    But this one is different, a whole new tone. This time she follows a French model for films that are essays: she makes a film about a film that is an essay on sex. It works because such things are talk about movies and the portrayal of life in movies.

    It works because we don't have to relate to the poor girl in question, instead the filmmaker who is struggling with the representation.

    Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Many of the crew perform their own jobs as the crew within the film.
    • Quotes

      Jeanne: Words are lies, bodies are truth - I have to show the truth.

    • Connections
      Referenced in Brows Held High: The Anatomy of Hell (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      A Sombra
      (Pedro Ayres Magalhães (as Pedro Ayres Magalhaes))

      Performed by Madredeus

      from the album "Os dias de Madredeus"

      (p) 1988 EMI

      Valentin de Carvalho Mustica, Lda

      Avec l'aimable autorisation de EMI Music France

      (c) Delabel Editions

      Avec l'aimable autorisation de Delabel Editions

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    FAQ16

    • How long is Sex Is Comedy?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 5, 2002 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Portugal
    • Official site
      • Flach Film (France)
    • Languages
      • French
      • Portuguese
    • Also known as
      • Ayıp yatakta olur
    • Filming locations
      • Cinemate - Rua José Carlos Ary dos Santos 59, Santo Antão do Tojal, Loures, Lisbon, Portugal(indoor studio)
    • Production companies
      • Arte France Cinéma
      • CB Films
      • Canal+
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $40,470
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,370
      • Oct 24, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $411,830
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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