Movie Review: Sex Tape (2014)
Written by Anthony Sargon
What started out as a great summer for R-rated comedies is quickly turning into a mixed bag. While flicks like 22 Jump Street and Neighbors have been embraced by the general public, others like Tammy and A Million Ways to Die in the West have been less reliable. Sex Tape, I’m sad to say, is largely devoid of any laughs, and wastes a mostly talented cast (I say mostly because I quite dislike Cameron Diaz) and a clever premise on lazy, unfunny, and obnoxious jokes.
Annie (Cameron Diaz) and Jay (Jason Segel) have been married for a while, and their sex life isn’t what it used to be. In an attempt to spice things up, the two make a sex tape that accidentally ends up getting uploaded to the cloud, which means all their friends and family now have access to it. It’s now up to them to make sure no one watches that tape, no matter what it takes.
I’m going to be completely blunt; I’m not a fan of Cameron Diaz. Call me biased, I don’t care, but she has no acting chops. Not that she’s the only issue with Sex Tape, but she’s certainly a big part of the problem. I was cringing every time she opened her mouth, and her chemistry with Jason Segel was non-existant. Speaking of Segel, he was quite off as well, which is weird and disappointing considering he’s one of my favorite comedic actors. On a totally unrelated note, I was also really distracted by how skinny he now looks; it seriously took me around half the movie’s running time to get used to it.
The screenplay, which was co-written by Segel and comedy veteran Nicholas Stoller (among others), is terrible. Jokes fall flat left and right, and everyone is simply trying too hard to be raunchy that it comes off as desperate. The bland and uninspired direction by Jake Kasdan also adds nothing to the yawn-inducing dialogue. The only positives about the flick are Rob Lowe, who plays Annie’s soon-to-be boss, and the ever-reliable Rob Corddry as Annie and Jay’s longtime friend. Everything and everyone else is just a waste of air.
The Verdict:
Sex Tape really could have been something special. Instead, it’s a boring and often obnoxious affair with only a handful of laughs. As a massive Jason Segel fan, I was expecting better. You’re better off staying home and making your own sex tape.
Numerical Score: 4/10
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