I suppose Sex Tape had good intentions to be a racy adult comedy and on the surface with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, not to mention supporting roles by Rob Cordory and Ellie Kemper, one would think it’d work on some level but instead it’s a laugh-less flick with maybe only one memorable scene while the rest is throwaway material.
Sex Tape
(2014)
Genre(s): Comedy
Sony | R – 94 min. – $35.99 | October 21, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Jake Kasdan Writer(s): Kate Angelo (story), Kate Angelo and Jason Segel & Nicholas Stoller (screenplay) Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Cordory, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe DISC INFO: Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 5.1), French (DTS-HD MA 5.1) |
THE MOVIE – 1.25/5
There’s a scene in Sex Tape where our main characters smash, burn and bury a flash drive and I have to say, they could’ve easily added the Blu-ray disc with it because man, this was a brutally dully and unfunny comedy to sit through. This had the type of storyline one no doubt would’ve seen on “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory” and every other half-assed CBS comedy.
The first 30-minutes of this mess of a movie is character background and set-up: Jay (JASON SEGEL) and Annie’s (CAMERON DIAZ) early relationship consisted of sex, sex and more sex. Just a good time all around and in a variety of positions and locations. Then she gets pregnant (go figure), get married have another tike and their love making diminished to almost oblivion. Wanting to reignite the flame they decide to shoot a porn video and use the “Joy of Sex” book doing every position and finish an astounding three-hour session, to both of their satisfaction.
Despite promising to do so, Jay does not delete the video and instead syncs it to his previously owned iPads, which he gave to friends and even their mailman, and now it’s in the hands of others and receives a text message from an anonymous source. So, in a night Jay and Annie set out to retrieve each of those iPads which include from best friends Robby (ROB CORDORY) and Tess (ELLIE KEMPER), filling in the obligatory quirky supporting characters and even Annie’s potential future boss, Hank (ROB LOWE), as his company is about to purchase her popular blog geared towards mothers.
That’s it. That’s the plot and trust me, the jokes and laughs are few and VERY far between. In fact, the one glimmer of hope was with Rob Lowe and a sequence taking place at his home where Jay searches for the iPad while Annie distracts Hank… and we get some truly funny scenes with Hank from his choice in music to his choice in recreational drugs. That said, once the scene, with a funny payoff, is done, Hank disappears from the film (well, he shows up in a bonus scene at the end). From that point, the film continues its downward spiral that even a “surprise” cameo couldn’t fix.
On paper, and from a casting perspective, it would seem Sex Tape could be a success. Cameron Diaz recently had a nice hit with The Other Woman which was surprisingly better than the trailers let on and Jason Segel, when the script is right, can be funny and I’ve enjoyed him in numerous movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Bad Teacher (also starring Diaz). However, despite having some decent chemistry in the aforementioned Bad Teacher, it was sorely missing here.
Sex Tape was directed by Jake Kasdan who also helmed the aforementioned Bad Teacher with a script written by Kate Angelo (has a story credit as well), Nicholas Stoller and star Jason Segel and honestly, the talent is there, limited as it might be, but the majority of this film was downright unfunny and not even risqué enough to have any staying power anyway.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5
Sony provided what at this time was the Wal-Mart exclusive slip cover (I guess less risqué versus the retail one). Inside is a redemption code for the Digital Copy.
Bloopers (5:17; HD) features line flubs and on-set shenanigans that arise from a cast like this.
Deleted & Extended Scenes (6:13; HD) only include three scenes cut down or eliminated and don’t add anything to the story.
Line-O-Rama (4:55; HD) has alternate, and numerous cuts, of actors riffing different lines.
Capturing the Moment (5:48; HD) is a behind-the-scenes featurette offering on-set interviews by the cast and crew. It’s basically an EPK-like feature, so skippable.
Romance Reboot with Dr. Jenn Berman (9:56; HD) – The therapist, and hostess of a VH1 show, discusses how to reignite the passion in a long-lasting relationship.
Meet Hank Rosenbaum (2:27; HD) is a silly feature where Rob Lowe’s character talks about life, love and other topics.
VIDEO – 3.5/5
Sex Tape unearths on Blu-ray presented with a 1080p high-definition transfer and in its original 1.85 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture itself actually doesn’t look bad though it does have a very warm texture/contrast to it but detail levels aren’t bad (see the weaving in Diaz’s sweater) and I didn’t notice any major instances of artifacts or pixilation so it’s at least a clean transfer.
AUDIO – 4.25/5
The movie includes a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track which is more than adequate for a comedy providing crisp and clear dialogue levels while also offering a bit of a dynamic feel when the score and soundtrack kick in. It’s nothing outstanding but serviceable enough.
OVERALL – 1.5/5
Overall, I suppose Sex Tape had good intentions to be a racy adult comedy and on the surface with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, not to mention supporting roles by Rob Cordory and Ellie Kemper, one would think it’d work on some level but instead it’s a laugh-less flick with maybe only one memorable scene while the rest is throwaway material. The Blu-ray release offers good video and audio transfers but the features are fairly limited in scope.
The Movieman
Published: 10/12/2014