Every average man you know
It may not be surprising that for a biopic of a sex researcher, Kinsey is not a very sexy movie. Its attitude towards the subject is apparently much like the man’s: Almost entirely scientific.
What comes as more of a surprise is how funny the movie is, mostly when we’re confronted with the backwards attitudes towards sex and sexuality of previous generations. As I was walking to my car afterward I heard a woman tell a friend that she thought we were headed that way again; certainly it seems that will happen if most republicans have their way.
Perhaps I’m too “reality-based,” but it seems to me naught but a minority could disagree that Kinsey’s research was beneficial to people all across the spectrum. Still, it will be interesting to see how this picture plays in the “red states” that are on everybody’s lips these days.
An especially strong supporting cast led by Laura Linney is fine, but it’s Liam Neeson’s movie. Showing us the emotional inner life of a man not in touch with those emotions may be a defining moment for any actor, and Neeson meets the challenge with an assured touch.
