Better Than Sex (2000)
Review by HTQ4
Film:
DVD:

Written and Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky
Original Music by David Hirschfelder
Starring David Wenham, Susie Porter, Catherine McClements, Kris McQuade, Simon Bossell

Released by: Columbia/Tri-Star
Rating: R (really, with the title, what else could you expect?)
Region: 1
Anamorphic: Yes
My Advice: You might want to rent it just to make sure you want to buy it...

Josh (Wenham) is in back in town just to visit some friends and he's only going to be in town for three more days. He just happens to be at the same party with Cindy (Porter) that night and, after the two find themselves sharing a cab home, they each begin thinking about spending the night with the other. It turns out to be the longest one night stand in history.

Part mockumentary, part true-life story, this movie has a little bit of something for everyone. Make no mistake, there are lots of sex scenes, but don't get too excited about it--they are very tastefully done. Meaning that given the plot line (and the focus of the story), they don't show any more skin than they have to. After all, this movie is about the temptation of a love affair, not the exploitation of one. Anyway, if you haven't put two and two together yet, our beloved Faramir, David Wenham, plays the lead in this movie...and he's outstanding. If you liked him in The Two Towers, you will absolutely love him in this role. In fact, his performance alone is worthing renting the movie for. He works simple wonders with the witty and intelligent script. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he's got a wonderful co-star as well. Susie Porter jumps right into the scenes with him and plays with the words and their relationship with the same amound of vigor as he does. Neither of them are trying to "out-act" the other, and they seem to be almost dancing their way through the movie with the way they pull, steal, and give focus from each other. It really is an amazing thing to watch.

The cinematography is beautiful, and not because it is taking advantage of the beauty of Sydney, Australia. There are some very clever shots and the framing of the shots is impeccable. They didn't pull you out of the movie, but you felt like you were able to really get the full effect that these characters had on one another. I can't go any further without mentioning the stellar music that was composed by Hirschfelder. It's the first time in a long time that I can remember watching a movie and thinking to myself, "I must find the soundtrack to this thing." He has done some amazing things with the simple piano/bass/drums combo. You simply must hear it to believe it.

It's just a shame that there is not a director's commentary track on the DVD. I would have loved to hear Teplitzky's response to his own movie. Not only that, but some kind of interviews with the cast and crew would have been nice, too. Some kind of featurette would have taken care of a lot of this. I have also become very fond of the "running text commentary" features that have begun to be more popular these days. This movie just begs for that kind of thing. Instead, though, we are presented with little more than a widescreen presentation of the film. And, you know what, with this film, I'm not complaining. I'm thankful for what I got. All I can do is hope for is a special edition one of these days.

This one falls into the category of rent it before you own it, just to be on the safe side. But, be aware, my bet is that you'll buy this one after you've seen it.