Click to read the article
I am a Sex Addict (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:20
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6.3/10
Theatrical Release:Apr 12, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Filmmaker Caveh Zahedi likes to turn the camera on himself, documenting his personal foibles in such independent films as I DON'T HATE LAS VEGAS ANYMORE and IN THE BATHTUB OF THE WORLD, blending... Filmmaker Caveh Zahedi likes to turn the camera on himself, documenting his personal foibles in such independent films as I DON'T HATE LAS VEGAS ANYMORE and IN THE BATHTUB OF THE WORLD, blending fiction with nonfiction to create highly individualized works that feature his own rather unique sense of humor and frustration. (In addition to starring in his own movies, Zahedi has also appeared in such films as Richard Linklater's WAKING LIFE and Alexander Payne's CITIZEN RUTH.) More than 10 years in the making, I AM A SEX ADDICT is his most accomplished film, a self-described "autobiographical hybridization" about his own battle with sexual addiction. A hit at the Tribeca and Rotterdam Film Festivals, I AM A SEX ADDICT begins with Caveh, playing a man named Caveh, preparing to get married for the third time. His previous relationships failed primarily because of his obsession with sex--especially with prostitutes--and his deep-seated need to share every little detail of his exploits with his girlfriends and wives, knowing that it could destroy what they have together. Zahedi recreates his past abuses, walking down a Paris street trying to find just the right hooker. However, he couldn't raise enough money to film the scene in France, so he shoots it in San Francisco, facing the camera and asking the audience, in a very humorous way, to pretend he's overseas. In his tales of woe--featuring Rebecca Lord as Caroline, Emily Morse as Christa, and Amanda Henderson as Devin--he occasionally mixes in home-movie footage of the actual women in his life, walking the fine line between truth and fiction, between documentary and drama. I AM A SEX ADDICT is a very funny, insightful film, though it does show some graphic sex scenes. Influenced by such independent auteurs as John Cassavetes, Lars von Trier, Mike Leigh, and Jean-Luc Godard, Zahedi is not afraid to look into the mirror and bare his soul in this highly entertaining work, which also includes the excellent music of Jonathan Richman. [More]
Starring: Caveh Zahedi, Rebecca Lord, Emily Morse, Amanda Henderson
Starring: Caveh Zahedi, Rebecca Lord, Emily Morse, Amanda Henderson, Greg Watkins, Olia Natasha, Corinna Chan, Stephanie Carwin
Director: Caveh Zahedi
Director: Caveh Zahedi
Studio: IFC Films
Get This Movie
Reviews for I am a Sex Addict
We're encouraged to root for his happy ending, but he doesn't quite work hard enough to earn it.
It’s hard to disapprove of Zahedi, who is far more of a pushover, or a patsy, than the fierce and knowing women he meets.
... Zahedi tries to construct a narrative from his epic bad behavior, presumably for the purpose of shedding light on something. What this is remains mysterious after a single viewing, but not so mysterious as to inspire a second.
... while some may bail early, those who stay to the end are likely to dwell on Zahedi’s unwavering (some would say unrelenting) belief in his own artistry, as well as the film's many funny, quotable lines ...
Self-involved and self-indulgent. It's almost as if [Zahedi] made the movie for himself, for his loved ones and for no one else.
Whether you find either man funny or infuriating depends in large part on whether you identify more with their narcissistic quests for self-knowledge or the collateral damage left in their wakes.
Were the articulate director a less obnoxious presence, he might have just pulled off his audaciously self-conscious endeavor.
Zahedi is wry and certainly fearless as he pours his sex life onto the screen, but around the ninth time he goes cruising for prostitutes it gets a little hard to take.
That self-indulgent documentary form, the biographical essay film, earns its most onanistic installment ever.
Making this confessional film may have been therapeutic for Zahedi, but it's pure torture for an audience.
I Am a Sex Addict starts out amusingly. But, as any one-joke movie is bound to, it quickly becomes tiresome.
Its undeniable appeal lies in shocking frankness shackled to irony, a combo that should attract indie lovers with psychoanalytic leanings and droll senses of humor.
This strange little movie is a mixed bag, hard to eagerly recommend but also hard to completely dismiss.
Consequently, I Am a Sex Addict is ruthlessly frank in its freakish frivolity and absurdly lyrical in the grubby ramblings of its professed and confused cad.
A funny, inventive, ground-shifting hybrid of essay film, mea culpa, and pathological real-life romantic farce.
I Am a Sex Addict is a sophisticated and open baring of one man's soul. And quite a few other things.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- I am a Sex Addict at Rotten Tomatoes
- I am a Sex Addict at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


