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James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, Laura San Giacomo, Ron Vawter ... see more see more... , Steven Brill , David Foil , Alexandra Root , Earl T. Taylor

Steven Soderbergh kickstarted the independent film movement of the 1990s with this landmark drama about the tangled relationships among four people and a video camera. John (Peter Gallagher) is an uns... read more read more...crupulous, self-centered yuppie lawyer with a beautiful wife named Ann (Andie MacDowell). Ann feels secure and well provided-for in their relationship, but she has almost no interest in sex; she tells her therapist that she's more concerned about waste disposal. John, however, is still quite interested in sex and is having an affair with Ann's sister Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo), whose personality is fire to Ann's ice; sex is the one area in which she's been able to best her more successful sister, and she relishes her ability to seduce Ann's husband. Into this dysfunctional picture comes Graham (James Spader), a college friend of John's whom he hasn't seen in nine years. Graham has decided that talking about sex is more interesting than actually having sex, so he meets women and asks them discuss their desires and fantasies as he tapes them with a camcorder. A sensation at the Sundance Film Festival, the film made that festival a synonym for a new brand of low-budget indie dramas about contemporary life and relationships. Together with Quentin Tarantino's very different Pulp Fiction (1994), sex, lies, and videotape was one of the most influential movies for independent filmmaking of the 1990s. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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42 critics

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Release Date: January 20, 1989

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

Stats: 1,189 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,189)

  • paulkoh110
    January 26, 2012
    paulkoh110
    A film with real depth in sexual desire and repression, Soderbergh bring his A-game for his debut film. Peter Gallagher, Annie Mcdowell, and James Spader are strong in their roles when prying in others' lives. Great watch!
  • fb791220692
    January 13, 2012
    fb791220692
    There's a reason Steven Soderbergh's first film is considered to be the starting point of modern indie films. 'sex, lies, and videotape' is an immensely powerful, well-written, and almost painfully honest movie. A bit ambiguous towards the end (as many indie films tend to become)... read more, but overall, its insanely captivating and real.
  • cosmo313
    December 18, 2011
    cosmo313
    This psychosexual drama not only represents the directorial debut of maverick filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, but also stands as an important milestone in the modern indie film revolution that began in late 80s but absolutely exploded during the 90s.

    The story here is a meditation... read more on the three subjects of the title as well as voyeurism, all of which are filtered through the lives of an unhappily married couple, the sister of the wife, and an old college friend of the husband. It's a wonderfully written analysis and exploration of the roles and impact of sex and sexuality in people's lives, and the intertwining nature of everything.

    The film's subject, its legacy, and the director all had me intrigued and wanting to see it. Now that I've given it a chance, I can say that yes, I am impressed, but I'm also not entirely sure of how I completely feel about it. The film takes on serious subjects, treats them seriously, and not in an overly inaccessible or pretentious manner, and I'm grateful for that. It did seem a little slow for me, and it took me a bit to warm up to it, but once things got going, I was hooked. And yet, I really am not sure what specific rating or grade to give it. I get that it is an important film, but I don't feel justified giving it a full 5. Maybe I need to let it stew for a while then rewatch it.

    I do think that the casting was pitch perfect and the performaes were superb, though Laura San Giacomo could have done a far better job with her accent. The film's music isn't bad, but kinda seemed maybe a bit too heavy or eerie, and thus kinda stuck out a bit. The film's shot quite decently though, and it seems like the most was made out of the small budget.

    It's the damndest thing. I enjoyed this movie, and it is quite well made, but there's something really gnawing at me, and I'm not sure what it is. I feel like it is somewhat overrated, but also that it isn't. Grr. I guess it's not really to the fault of the filmmakers though. I mean, if they set out to make a challenging and thought provoking film, they've certainly succeeded as far as I'm concerned, especially given how batty it's driving me.

    All in all, I do recommend this film. For now, let's just call my rating and grade temporary until I can better reason out the most suitable verdict. B+
  • FrizzDrop
    November 12, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    A look into, well, everything in the title, and yet so much more. The film branches between four different people's perspectives on the same subjects. What makes the film especially interesting is that the characters are at worst quirky, at best complex versions of characters tha... read moret I've never seen before. This especially goes for James Spader's character, which is a tapestry of lies, repression, and self-doubt. The other three's actions are irresponsible, and their intertwining relationships aren't based on anything other than self-awareness. Peter Gallagher's character is the only one who isn't complex, the villain of the film while still retaining the humanistic properties of a sullen husband with a penchant for cheating. It's the psychological aspect that draws you in, which is certainly enhanced by the direction of Soderbergh. Everything about this film makes you feel uneasy: the score is a deep, long synth track that feels almost voyeuristic, while much of this includes phone conversation that uses voice over narration instead of realistic sound, like each conversation is a monologue about the upended lives of the four people. Yes, sex is tied into this film, but not the act itself. It's more about what constitutes freedom, what you have to feel, and think, and relate to yourself and your partner before you're ready to act on these feelings. Spader's character is the least insecure of them all about it, yet he's constantly running away, thinking it can ruin other people's lives when it's only ruining his. Macdowell is comely yet humble, and certainly a figure of repression, though here she just comes off as insightful and a diligent wife. There's nothing to suggest her life needs improvement, which is fascinating: sometimes the people who refrain from sex aren't stunted, just know it's something special or at least secret. Her sister, played by Laura San Giacomo is the definition of loose, and yet at the end we sympathize with her misdeeds against her sister, and simply want her to grow as a person, which she certainly does. It's unsettling, in the least.
  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A strong introduction from Soderbergh.
  • axadntpron
    September 25, 2011
    axadntpron
    Interesting and provocative subject matter, executed poorly. Aside from Spader, the acting feels vapid. While Soderbergh shows some promise here, the direction isn't anything to write home about. Overall, not a stellar debut feature, but worth a watch if you want to see some earl... read morey Soderbergh,
  • ajv2688
    April 5, 2011
    ajv2688
    Another fantastic movie about voyeurism and relationships and just life overall. This movie has a bunch of good actors, and a great story. I loved it, and I highly recommend it.
  • groaningbitch
    March 27, 2011
    groaningbitch
    i used not to understand "sex, lies and videotape" and dismiss it as a humdrum pretense of intellectual smugness and i asked myself then "where was that provocatively sexual stuff the advertisement says?" when i was 16 and watched it during my high-school days..(at the time when ... read morevideotape was about to be eliminated and replaced by dvds)...and i just re-watched it weeks ago and found myself deeply amused by its witty dialogues, so different from what i felt 10 years ago. age does mellow a person beyond one's own expectation.

    it's about a loner who claims himself impotent and gets his thrill of life by videotaping women talking about sex, a housewife who's frigid about sex, who also has a lying lawyer husband who cheats on her with her free-spirited but somehow crass sister who holds a smoldering grudge against the goody goody housewife, a story settled in some cozy town of inland america. anyway, the lives of these people are altered all at a sudden when the loner steps into the picture with his voyeuristic videotape-fetish. does that sound a bit like hitchcock's rear window with a naughty twist to you? huh?

    what interests me is, of course, its sex (who isn't interested in sex? let's be frank), the mentality of sex. if cinema is a form of collective voyeurism, wouldn't it be an ironic self-reflection to witness a voyeurist who carries the same knack as you do in front of the screen? to voyeur or to gaze is a very sexually charged act and even more intense than the real sex because it's so full of unfulfilled wishes for transgressions. if voyeurism is a substituted form of sex, and to give others consent to videotape you is like saying yes to a proposition of sex. the gazer appears like an intrusive trespasser (of their minds) but by actuality he turns to be the helplessly fixated prey of those women who accept such intimate camera-exposure.

    the lawyer character who has got most laids in the movie is actually the least sexual one because the sexes are de-subliminated by immediate gratifications while those women around him are aroused by the voyeuristic loner who ravishes their minds on the side of camera. (said in a crude way, it would be "he fucks their brains out with his inquistive lens") the notion is that when one's in the process of copulation, he/she is actually making love to an idealized beautification of an image projected into his/her mind, in other words, she/he is fornicating with an illusion. just like real life, some couples, who fail to entince the sexual spunk from each other, would watch some porno tapes to help themselves to get into the mood for sex, and it's probably more like consensual cheatings (with the porno actors) rather than mutual masturbations.

    the ending is the loner smashes all his videotapes once his protected universe of reclusion is shatttered into pieces when the dejected housewife reverses the camera back on him and his fetishized, idolized object of desire is blemished, i.e., the sacred memories of his very one passionate love are violated by betrayal. (his college girlfriend, who he has carried the torch for all these years, turns out to be liar as his lawyer friend confides him about her infidelity "she's no saint; she's just good in bed")..as he finds the void within his idealized illusion, he abandons this peculiarly subliminated form of sex to get involved into a real relationship. doesn't that sound interesting? even it has no dynamic sex scenes, no actual nudity shown, and it's just a bunch of jaded people talking about sex, but the motives behind these acts are surely engrossing.

    (ps) in a brief, suppressed people are much more sexually charged, so they watch lots of interesting movies as substitutes like we flixsters(cinephile=implicit voyeurs?)...huh? of course, i kid. you'll be the judge of that.
  • stevenecarrier
    July 26, 2010
    stevenecarrier
    In all actuality Steven Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" is just a series of conversations, but oh what fascinating conversations they are. The characters within the film are so complex and introverted- it really makes for an interesting character study and psycho-sexual s... read moretudy. Clearly, the actors are having a ball with the monologues and Soderbergh's directing style really amplifies the proceedings. "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" is one of the signal films of the 80s and ushered in an entirely new view on independent filmmaking.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 22, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    The Word Sex these days has become so normal. Sometimes it depends on the director to give the "word" its real meaning in the Movie. I expected Steven Soderbergh would might be the one when I decided to watch this movie. Another voyeurism Movie. Dissapointing.

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Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
December 9, 2011
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

What amazes is that at just 26, Soderbergh displays the three qualities associated with mature filmmakers: a unique authorial voice, a spooky camera assurance, and the easy control of ensemble acting. Full Review

Variety Staff
October 18, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

This is a sexy, nuanced, beautifully controlled examination of how a quartet of people are defined by their erotic impulses and inhibitions. Full Review

Caryn James
May 20, 2003
Caryn James, New York Times

A film whose enormous authority and intelligence extend to every detail. Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

A movie of prodigious power and feeling that is also high-spirited, hilarious and scorchingly erotic.

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Inspired chitchat, a barefaced Louisiana gabfest written and directed by Steven Soderbergh, a 26-year-old Wunderkind preoccupied with l'amour. Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Wwriter/director/editor Soderbergh has composed a wry, highly watchable piece that comes across as a great first effort by a film-school graduate. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It is never boring, and there are moments when it reminds us of how sexy the movies used to be, back in the days when speech was an erogenous zone. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 20, 1989
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Lean, economical, relatively unpretentious (or at least pretentiously unpretentious), and purposefully small-scale. Full Review

James Plath
February 11, 2012
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

Solid performances and Soderbergh's sense of human nature and cinematic tension are what hold the Sex, Lies, and Videotape together. Full Review

December 9, 2011
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Beautifully edited by Soderbergh, the film is evenly paced, its subtleties accreting slowly, and by the end it gathers powerful emotional momentum. Full Review

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sex, lies, and videotape Trivia

  • James Spader records Andie McDowell's & Laura San Giacomo's lies about sex on videotape?  Answer »
  • In the movie "Sex, Lies, and Videotape", Graham says that the two lowest forms of life on Earth are liars and??  Answer »
  • "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" (1989) was the directorial debut of who?  Answer »
  • complete the title sex, lies and what else?  Answer »
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