Grade:  B

Director:  Bill Condon		Released:  November 2004
Writer:  Bill Condon		MPAA Rating:  R
Players:  Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, John Lithgow, Oliver Platt, Timothy Hutton, Tim Curry		Running time:  118 minutes

Ratings System

I'm continuing my streak of geriatric matinees.  First it was Harry Potter, then F 9/11, now Kinsey.  I don't want to know what that says about me and my movie choices.

Kinsey was very good up to the final ten minutes.  In my experience I've found that most films try to tie up loose ends and leave the audience with a sense of completion.  Not Kinsey.  No, Kinsey employs some type of advanced filmic technique which leaves the audience saying, "what the fuck?"  Yes even the blue-hairs at my screening could be heard muttering "what the fuck?" on the way out of the theatre.  When your film is biographical, I think it's a good idea to finish the story, not leave viewers wondering if they need to hit the library to find out what happened.

Lots of talk has circulated regarding Liam Neeson and his Oscar chances, but I'd put the sure money on Peter Sarsgaard for best supporting actor.  As for Laura Linney, there's something about all her performances that comes across as transparent to me.  She always looks like she's acting.  This performance is no exception.  She doesn't become the character, she ACTS LIKE the character.

Born as I was in the early 1970s, it's no surprise I never heard of Alfred Kinsey.  His research on human sexual behavior was conducted in the 1940s and 1950s, well before my time.  During the film I started to wonder why I hadn't.  Had his findings become less valid over time?  Why had I not learned anything regarding this topic?  Indeed, I have a college degree in psychology, and in all my courses I never studied the man nor his work.  Which reinforces the belief that Americans are still afraid of sex from a practical standpoint.  Afraid to talk about it, afraid to teach it.  The current trend of violence in television and movies while shunning sex to pay channels like HBO and movies rated NC-17 also makes the point.  Hell, many of the things mentioned in this film I didn't learn until I was well into my twenties.

- crocoPuffs