Mariel Hemingway is a really cutie. She is now 40 years old and has made about 38 movies. However, aside from this zany "Sex Monster" I only remember seeing her act in the 1987 Superman IV - when she was 26 years old.
This fracical comedy is without any visual sex scenes which makes it a disappointment to it's name. (Open kissing and overdubbed moaning does not a sex scene make.)
Mike Binder wrote, directed, and starred in this film. I would guess that it's a family affair with Jack Binder producing. Maybe Mariel is associated with the project. But, she really needs a more in depth script in which to act. She has been in the movie industry too long for such light comedy fluff.
Ms. Hemingway still has a pretty face that the camera can spend more than five seconds a "take" showing and a great physical presence. She should be offered roles more powerful.
The Sex Monster
1999
Action / Comedy
The Sex Monster
1999
Action / Comedy
Plot summary
A neurotic L.A. building contractor pushes his wife into entering into a three way sexual relationship. Unfortunately for him, his wife gets more out of it than he does and becomes a tigress seducing every female she meets including the contractor's secretary.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Mariel Hemingway needs better movies!
not funny and actually a little off-putting
L.A. construction contractor Marty Barnes (Mike Binder) has a safe suburban marriage to hairdresser Laura (Mariel Hemingway). With his friends' encouragement, he convinces her to go on threesomes with other women. The problem is that they seem to like her more and her inner sex monster is awakened.
Mike Binder assumes a tough proctological exam is automatically funny. He assumes that he can make the threesomes funny. He assumes the irreverent men talk is funny. Instead, they come off as weasels. Marty is slimy and pathetically small. It's a broad comedy without any actual laughs. The sexual politics come off as clunky. This might work better comically if it's her idea from the start. The sister vacation could have been hilarious. Anyways, Hemingway is not that funny of a comedic actress. She almost works as a straight man. This is not funny, sexy, nor even that likable.
A Movie Has A Problem When The Lead Character Grates On You
I've often heard it said that reality is never as good as fantasy. That's one of the lessons found in this movie. Marty (Mike Binder) is feeling a bit bored in his marriage to Laura (Mariel Hemingway.) To "spice" things up a bit, he suggests that they invite another woman into the relationship - although one suspects that Mike's real purpose is to fulfil his own fantasies rather than to spice up the marriage. After resisting, Laura agrees very reluctantly to invite one of her co-workers into their bed. Nervous at first (and there's even a certain sweetness to her nervousness about the first encounter) Laura turns into a lesbian sex monster - as the title implies - seducing every woman she can. Meanwhile, Marty feels increasingly jealous and left out. So, Marty's reality was less exciting than his fantasy, and he learned the importance of the old proverb "be careful what you wish for because you might get it." I liked - as I noted - the real sweetness of Laura's nervous first encounter, and there were some funny moments scattered throughout this - especially in the last few minutes, and Laura's encounter with Evie.
The problem with this, though, was the character of Marty. I didn't like him - not from the start. I didn't like him pushing his wife into something she didn't want, and then - having pushed her to go along - I didn't like him blaming her for all the consequences. Not liking Marty is a major problem in this movie, because the whole thing is shot basically from Marty's perspective. He's rarely off camera, and the character grates, which really makes it hard to enjoy this, even though it does have a few moments now and then that are worthy of a laugh.
For those wondering, this really isn't a movie for voyeurs. There's no explicit sex scenes; most of what happens "between the girls" is implied but not shown, and what is shown is mostly Marty's reaction to what he's seeing. It's certainly not a family movie by any means, but it isn't explicit. If you can get past the Marty thing (or, if you have a less negative reaction to him than I did) you might well find this enjoyable. Unfortunately, Marty really made this a mediocre viewing experience for me.