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Woody Allen, John Carradine, Anthony Quayle, Lynn Redgrave, Lou Jacobi ... see more see more... , Gene Wilder , Louise Lasser , Burt Reynolds , Tony Randall , Titos Vandis , Jack Barry , Oscar Beregi Sr. , Dort Clark , Erin Fleming , Elaine Giftos , Marcy Goldman , Geoffrey Holder , Toni Holt , Robert Q. Lewis , Baruch Lumet , Heather MacRae , Pamela Mason , Inge Neilsen , Regis Philbin , Jay Robinson , Ref Sanchez , Robert Walden , Stanley Adams , Alan Caillou , Tom Mack , Sidney Miller , H.E. West , Don Chuy

Woody Allen's in-name-only adaptation of the once notorious sexual reference guide by Dr. David Reuben contains seven episodes based on "helpful" questions answered in the book. In "Do Aphrodisiacs Wo... read more read more...rk?", Allen appears as a court jester who uses a love potion to spark the erotic interests of the Queen (Lynn Redgrave). "What Is Sodomy?" stars Gene Wilder as a doctor who throws away his marriage, career, and position in the community when he falls madly in love with an Armenian sheep named Daisy. "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" is a parody of stylish Italian films of the '60s in which a slick playboy (Woody Allen) discovers his wife (Louise Lasser) can climax only when they make love in public places. In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?," Sam (Lou Jacobi) has his little secret revealed at a most inopportune moment. "What Are Sex Researchers Actually Accomplishing?" features John Carradine in a great parody of his mad-scientist roles as Dr. Bernardo, whose research into human sexuality has led to a fearsome mutation -- a 50-foot tall female breast! "What Are Sexual Perversions?" takes us to a broadcast of the popular game show What's My Perversion?, in which Jack Barry leads a panel of celebrities (including Regis Philbin and Robert Q. Lewis) in guessing the erotic obsessions of their guests. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" takes the audience inside the body of a man in the throes of passion; The Brain (Tony Randall) guides the body's functions, with the help of his assistant (Burt Reynolds), while Allen plays a nervous sperm cell not sure if he can make the big jump. While the quality of the episodes is uneven, the best rank with the funniest moments of Allen's career, especially Gene Wilder's touching romance with the sheep ("I think we can make this work, Daisy") and the final sequence inside the male body ("What if he's only masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling somewhere!"). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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22,142 ratings

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19 critics

DVD Release Date: July 5, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (1,146)


  • April 13, 2011
    Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex, But Were Afraid To Ask is bizarre not only in name (it will henceforth be called EB for simplicity). It's probably the most purely comedic of Woody Allen's movies, being little more than a collection of sketches with various sexual ... read morematters in the spotlight. It lacks the subtle edge of Allen's greatest, and many of the jokes are hit and miss. It's still not even a mediocre film, because when EB is good, it's fantastic, and will surely cause some laughter though it may be sporadic.

    At its most basic, EB is a parody of the common questions asked about sex, relationships and overall ethics. A single question is discussed in one sketch, and it is then followed by another. These questions range from being about orgasm problems to sodomy, so there's much to take. So yes, it is a sketch show. And as with any sketch show, the quality of each one is inconsistent. There are seven of them in total, which both differ in style and type of humor. Some of them are darkly humorous (the sodomy one is this reviewer's favorite for that reason) while some are on the more silly side, specifically the very ambitious final act.

    It really is the simplicity of the film that is its biggest flaw. The short nature of each sketch leads to the actors not being able to fully express themselves. Gene Wilder is wonderful as a sheep-loving doctor, and Woody Allen can always make his personae work. They just don't get enough screentime. EB is an entertaining, often hilarious film but lacks a key element to make it truly great: consistency. It's therefore a worthwhile, but not so memorable comedy experience.
  • November 23, 2010
    A mix between the brilliant Woody Allen and the style of a Mel Brooks film, Everything...is amazingly original and funny. Every scene is stylized, the script flawless, the punchline inches away from your nose, but you don't dare sneeze. Just plain wonderful.
  • September 26, 2009
    It's tough to be cerebral about low-brow humor.
  • September 24, 2009
    7 skits, but only 2 and a half are funny!
  • May 19, 2008
    Allen tries hard on a bit more edgier comedy based on some curious sexual habits. Some moments are outrageous, but not all of them work, none its hysterically funny except from the last one. despite that, all the episodes have their own "charm", in a quirky way.
  • February 3, 2008
    Dated, but still fun.
  • January 1, 2008
    A fun and interesting series of sketches (seven in all) in which we see many sides of Woody Allen's odd-ball humour, some much better than others. Of particular interest are the sketches featuring Gene Wilder ("What is Sodomy?") and Burt Reynolds ("What Happens During Ejaculation... read more?"), which are really the two winners out of the lot. A fun and inventive collection worth checking out... and for the record, the first Woody Allen film I ever watched (I read his book, Side Effects, before ever watching his films... that's weird, right?).
  • October 22, 2007
    That last little sperm skit was THE the cutest thing I've seen in a while. But all in all, this was slightly disappointing because I liked maybe just half of them. But yeah, the end skit made up for everything, almost.
  • July 22, 2007
    Very hit and miss collection of skits about Woody's favourite subject. Sometimes funny, often lame.
  • July 19, 2007
    I think I've seen this movie. I definitely remember the reluctant sperm and a giant breast but I don't know if I've seen it all.

Critic Reviews


Emanuel Levy
August 23, 2010
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

This early Woody Allen comedy, basically an aggregate of sketches and gags, lacks the polish and coherence of his later work, but it contains many funny moments and some hilarious and audacious ones. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
September 1, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Sex is comedy Full Review

Alex Sandell
February 27, 2005
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

The movie a man named 'Woody' was born to direct!

Steve Crum
January 3, 2005
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Really dated, but clever concept.

Rob Thomas
February 19, 2004
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

This should be a hit-and-miss effort, but it's mostly hits.

John Esther
August 22, 2003
John Esther, Pasadena Weekly

Funny the first time. Multiple viewings offer nothing.

Greg Muskewitz
July 11, 2003
Greg Muskewitz, eFilmCritic.com

Its ability to jump around vignette-style allows Allen to generously spread his hilarious schtick to a broad number of subjects without fear of dilution. One of Allen's unsung classics.

Kevin A. Ranson
April 6, 2003
Kevin A. Ranson, MovieCrypt.com

Sperm can be fun!

Bob Bloom
March 13, 2003
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

John Carradine as the mad scientist! Gene Wilder and the ewe! Tasteless, but funny; the sperm sequence is priceless.

Ken Hanke
October 2, 2002
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Too uneven to be good. Too good to ignore

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Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask Trivia

Everything You Always Wanted to K... Trivia


  • Which is not a segment in Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask?  Answer »
  • In which Woody Allen movie does Gene Wilder's character fall in love with a goat?  Answer »
  • Who fell in love with a sheep in Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask?  Answer »
  • In "Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask", what is Dr Doug Ross's (played by Gene Wilder) sexual perversion?  Answer »

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