A parable without inspiration

Rating: 1/10 (27 August 2005)

I read a number of the reviews and ratings of this dreadful movie before venturing a comment. In fact, I checked the ratings on IMDb before I saw the film - a mistake. I would have done better drawing straws. I can't honestly give this movie a single star.
The movie uses the locker-room stereotype of young American men - constantly concerned with sex and willing to employ any means to have it. The range of sexual experience sought is so extremely caricatured that one character finds watching a Mexican (not American) woman have sex with a horse as boring as making an egg salad sandwich. Men in this film will use any means whatsoever: lying, cheating, drugs and alcohol to satisfy the sexual urge. Homosexuality is shown as just one in the range of sexual options - slightly beyond bestiality. In the pursuit of sex men are portrayed as so dirty and disgusting they are laughable. Degrading people is not humor.
Most American men could not identify with any of the characters in this movie. The majority are decent, honest and moral. They believe in romantic love in which sex has a natural role despite the guilt and fear connected with sex by religion and the state. The male characters in this movie would be excluded socially by men in the real world.
The female characters in the movie are also stereotypes - "eve and the serpent." They - unlike the men - are sexually sophisticated, experienced and competent. They exist to tempt men: for example the female store owner's offer to become "fuck buddy" of the main character or the bookstore saleswoman?s responsiveness to the star's stupid pickup lines and her auto-erotic session as a warm up to a heterosexual event - with him or any other partner.
In essence, this is a propaganda film. It uses degrading humor and stereotyping to convey lessons based on the biblical interpretations of Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Pat Robertson and even George Bush: 1. Virginity (abstinence) before marriage is good - if a bit geeky. 2. Sex outside of marriage is dirty disgusting and gross. 3. Sex is addictive and more and varied experiences are required to satisfy the addiction 4. Homosexuality one of a variety of sexual choices.
And of course, the final point, sex education is simply used to teach sexual alternatives to immoral people who wish to be sexually active - "outercourse" and "oral play" ? while avoiding the responsibility of pregnancy and disease.
As propaganda, the movie appears to be relatively successful, it slipped by the majority of your reviewers. As comedy or cinematic art however, it is unrepresentative, ugly and disgusting.