Opposite of Sex

The Opposite of Sex is supposed to be a scathing comedy (according to its tagline), but isn t quite as provocative as it would like people to think. The film is presented from the point of view of Dede Truitt, a 16 year old girl that has just started coming into her own. The movie starts to take off when she goes to visit her gay half-brother, and instead of just getting to know him better, ends up seducing his boyfriend and lures him into cheating on her brother. Running away from her problems in Louisiana has just led to more problems, and using her feminine wiles, she convinces the boyfriend to steal $10,000 and head off to Los Angeles with her. She gets her way, as is the typical case with characters such as these.

The half-brother of Dede (Bill) ends up being framed for sexual harassment, and problems begin to mount for him as the town basically turns against him. The only way he is going to get out from under the controversy that now surrounds him will be to track down Dede and bring her back to admit what she has done. The chase is on, as he must track down Dede with the assistance of friend Lucia, all while being tracked himself by the sheriff investigating the claims against him. Lost yet? Well this is a somewhat convoluted plot, but the real basis is that Dede is causing problems everywhere she goes, and the rest of the plot is just a sub-story to the ordeals she is going through and how she deals with them.

This film is intended to be one of those snarky comedies that present itself as off-putting while simultaneously trying to poke fun at its own plot devices. The main character Dede is played by Christina Ricci, who has been better, but also doubles as the narrator to the story, explaining to the audience what is going on, and predicting what might be around the next corner. She has a powerful character in the fashion that she knows how to manipulate people, but she does so in an almost cruel way that throws every other character into utter chaos within the film. It s also a good thing that she is the one poking fun at the sequences while they are occurring, because I would have been the one doing it.

There are additional names that join Ricci in the cast, including Lyle Lovett as the sheriff, and Lisa Kudrow in the role of Lucia, but it is really Ricci at the center of this tale, and it is unfortunate at times, because there are a couple of characters that I would have liked to learn more about. The intent of the title for this film (The Opposite of Sex) is to show that the true opposite of sex is a loving relationship, and that there is a marked difference between the two. Ricci at times is able to deliver a notable performance, and there are moments when the supporting cast also helps in elevating the plotlines, but there just seemed to be something missing from the film to make it a winner in my opinion. I felt that there were scenes that were meant to be funny that I just wasn t laughing, and others that I felt muddied up the story. That being said, it was worth watching once, if for no other reason than it is much different than your typical dark comedy. This one does deal with a lot of hot topic issues and earns its R rating, so be weary of who is in the room during the viewing.