A different take

Rating: Null/10 (6 April 2001)

This film is about sex and human culture, perhaps sex AS human culture. It's saying that sex is a far deeper part of our society than we want to accept. Not sex for procreation, sex for the sake of sex. In a subtler way, it's about everyone's battle between sowing their seeds and maintaining a steady relationship. Of the two principal characters, the married couple Bill and Alice, it's every bit as much about Alice's battle as is it about Bill's. In fact, it is Bill who's stunned to find out that Alice even has such fantasies. It's important to note that although Alice and Bill are both highly sought after by the opposite sex the only people they make love to in the movie are each other. They may talk about others, they may even dabble, but in the end nothing is ever consummated with anyone else. Bill isn't saved from cheating by a miraculous set of circumstances. Bill doesn't cheat, because in his heart he doesn't want to cheat. He found excuses to get out of the situations he could have just as easily found excuses to stay in the situations.
As in any most stories, the outer conflict was just a mirror image of the inner struggle. If just going to the orgy was "way over [Bill's] head" and puts his life in danger, just imagine what consummating the deal would have meant! His search for the details behind the orgy are analogous to his own soul search. Part of himself desperately wanted in and the other part was desperately trying to keep him out.
I would like to clear up an often misrepresented situation, after Alice tells Bill about her crush on the Navy man Bill does not leave the house to find some action in revenge. In fact, he goes to see a recently deceased patient and his daughter. Soon the daughter reveals that she feels EXACTLY the same about him as Alice felt about the Navy man. He even tries to brush off the hooker he meets thereafter. Falling into situations, and extricating oneself, are a far cry from seeking out those situations.
To my mind some of the most important scenes were those at the costume shop. The owner is furious when he finds his daughter with a few Asian gentlemen, but it's fine the next day. Apparently, he didn't care what his daughter was doing, he just wanted to make sure he was paid for it. The owner even offers his daughter to Bill. In fact, everyone in the entire movie except Alice and Bill seem to act his way. The owner's lack of concern for his daughter juxtaposes splendidly with the soul searching Bill has endured.
Two other points of note: It's interesting that Bill and Alice have a daughter but she's in maybe 2 minutes of this 2 1/2 hour film. In fact, the babysitter's a more prominent character. It's a land where the act of sex is important, but the results of sex aren't. Lastly, Alice's reaction after hearing Bill's story and giving it a lot of thought is to want to go home and have sex. Even at the end, all their trials and tribulations just come down to sex, even as their daughter roams free in the aisles of the toys store.