The Opposite of Sex *** (1998, Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Galecki, William Lee Scott) – Classic Movie Review 1093

Writer-director Don Roos’s funny, bitchy, and sometimes witty 1998 black comedy deliberately skates on thin ice, and then falls in unintentionally.

After the death of her hated stepfather, a 16-year-old Louisiana supervixen called Dede Truitt (Christina Ricci) leaves her mom and moves in to wreak havoc in the life of her 35-year-old gay half-brother Bill Truitt (Martin Donovan) by seducing, and then stealing his hot young boyfriend Randy ‘One Ball’ Cates (William Lee Scott).

Lucia DeLury (Lisa Kudrow), the lonely co-worker teacher sister of Donovan’s late boyfriend, who has died of AIDS, tries to help him retrieve Lee Scott and save Donovan from charges of molestation of a minor made by a malicious camp gay ex-pupil Jason Bock (Johnny Galecki), who also fancies the hunky boyfriend.

The cold and heartless story is told by Ricci’s character Dede, who explains she’s isn’t going to end up telling us she’s got a hidden heart of gold, but by the end, the film is trying to plead for us to love her. Both Ricci and Kudrow enjoy strongly written, if hardly likeable characters, with excellent dialogue, while Lyle Lovett amuses quietly as the dumb but dogged cop, Sheriff Carl Tippett, who sets his cap at Kudrow.

The Opposite of Sex is clever but dodgy stuff, with plenty to offend most people, handled by writer-director Roos with great, if sometimes misplaced, confidence. R rated for strong language and sex-related dialogue and sexuality.

Born on April 14 1955 in New York, Roos is also known for Bounce (2000) and Marley & Me (2008). He is the life partner/husband of actor, screenwriter, producer Dan Bucatinsky. They have two children, Eliza and Jonah. Bucatinsky makes a cameo as the waiter in the restaurant scene which was shot at the closed Chasen’s restaurant site.

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© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 1093 derekwinnert.com