The Sessions (written & directed by Ben Lewin and starring John Hawkes & Helen Hunt) is an interesting & entertaining movie that I truly enjoyed. It's not your average love story or stereotypical "lose your innocence" movie (those are usually set in high schools). It is a very frank adult tale of a man (based on a true story) who takes matters into his own hands to lose his virginity in spite of his physical limitations. And it truly is a wonderful story as it becomes more than just someone trying to get laid for the first time.
Mark O'Brien (played by Hawkes) is forced to live in an iron lung as a result of having had polio. Due to his condition, he has never had sex and he is 38 years old. He desperately wants to lose his virginity as he knows his days are numbered. After consulting with is priest of all people (Fr. Brendan played by William H. Macy), he decides to take a direct approach to this and hires a sex surrogate, Cheryl Cohen-Greene (played by Hunt). This is where the movie really gets interesting as it becomes clear that during their "sessions", Mark & Cheryl are forming a bond that goes beyond just sex.
I think what makes this such a good movie are the performances given by Hawkes & Hunt. They truly become the characters that they play and their on-screen chemistry really shines. As I said earlier, this is very frank movie about sex and Hunt's performance is just as frank as she does not hold back with respect to her performance...she bares her soul as well as her body. Cheryl is somewhat matter-of-fact when it comes to sex, yet Hunt portrays her softer, more human side very well. And Hawkes continues to bring his A game to yet another challenging role. He truly is a great actor. He plays Mark perfectly, with a lot of humor & heart. The movie overall is quite funny and is never "cringe-worthy" during the explicit sex scenes. While sex is at the center of the story, it is portrayed tastefully as well as humorously.
I definitely liked The Sessions...7.5/10 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment