January 04, 2005

Kinsey

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Kinsey is a strong little movie. Liam Neeson's dedication to the role is amazing; he has one of those voices that I could just listen to all day. Laura Linney (quickly becoming one of my favourite actresses) is equally fine and up to the task in this one. I'd expect both of them – especially Neeson – to nab Oscar nominations for their work. The movie itself acts primarily as a supporter of Dr. Kinsey's research, but takes a few moments out to be impartial, and even takes some shots at Kinsey's overly calculated and headstrong attitude towards his work. As such, the movie is not for the overly squirmy or prudish. But as a character study, Kinsey is above average and worth a look.

Side note: Stay for the end credits.

Theater idiots: None. The place was practically empty.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agree with your comments but I felt the ending was forced. They went for some pseudo-spiritual, innocents-in-the-Garden type palaver which just didn't work for me. In real life, Kinsey went downhill, barbituates, etc. Not knocking the man's work -- or even the man, really -- just felt the film at times cut a few corners and sold some cheap truths (probably to get funded).

DCD

Jeope said...

"A Beautiful Mind" got the same treatment (re: the glossed-over parts). I didn't know that about Kinsey.

Anonymous said...

I also didn't like that they didn't show, during one of Kinesy's lectures, the very sensitive spot on the penis. (Not that I need to be told.) Given the explicitness of other scenes, and of the slides of penises and vaginas, that was an odd omission. I assume they shot the footage and it ended up on the cutting room floor due to fears of moral majority hectoring, or possibly because the studio couldn't be seen to be giving instruction of any kind. Either way, that was a neurotic decision that pushed me out of the dream. Why not drop the line? Half-hearted doesn't do it. Pulled punches in a movie like this makes me feel squeamish about the climate we live in. [DCD]