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sex, lies, and videotape (1989)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 8/10
Reviews Counted: 41
Fresh: 40 | Rotten: 1

In his feature directorial debut, Steven Soderbergh demonstrates a mastery of his craft well beyond his years, pulling together an outstanding cast and an intelligent script for a nuanced, mature film about neurosis and human sexuality.

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Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 8
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 0

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Movie Info

Steven Soderbergh kickstarted the independent film movement of the 1990s with this landmark drama about the tangled relationships among four people and a video camera. John (Peter Gallagher) is an unscrupulous, self-centered yuppie lawyer with a beautiful wife named Ann (Andie MacDowell). Ann feels secure and well provided-for in their relationship, but she has almost no interest in sex; she tells her therapist that she's more concerned about waste disposal. John, however, is still quite

R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Art House & International, Drama

Directed By: Steven Soderbergh

Written By: Steven Soderbergh

In Theaters: Jan 20, 1989 Wide

On DVD: Aug 28, 2001

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

sex, lies, and videotape Trailer & Photos

Cast

James Spader
Graham Dalton
Andie MacDowell
Ann Millaney
Peter Gallagher
John Millaney
Laura San Giacomo
Cynthia Bishop
Ron Vawter
Therapist
Steven Brill
Barfly
David Foil
John's Colleague
Alexandra Root
Girl on Tape
Earl T. Taylor
Landlord

Critic Reviews for sex, lies, and videotape

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (41) | Rotten (1) | DVD (9)

What amazes is that at just 26, Soderbergh displays the three qualities associated with mature filmmakers: a unique authorial voice, a spooky camera assurance, and the easy control of ensemble acting.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Top Critic

This is a sexy, nuanced, beautifully controlled examination of how a quartet of people are defined by their erotic impulses and inhibitions.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

A film whose enormous authority and intelligence extend to every detail.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Caryn James

New York Times

Top Critic

A movie of prodigious power and feeling that is also high-spirited, hilarious and scorchingly erotic.

May 12, 2001 Comment

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

Inspired chitchat, a barefaced Louisiana gabfest written and directed by Steven Soderbergh, a 26-year-old Wunderkind preoccupied with l'amour.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Rita Kempley

Washington Post

Top Critic

Wwriter/director/editor Soderbergh has composed a wry, highly watchable piece that comes across as a great first effort by a film-school graduate.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

Beautifully edited by Soderbergh, the film is evenly paced, its subtleties accreting slowly, and by the end it gathers powerful emotional momentum.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

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TV Guide's Movie Guide

Soderbergh has assembled his cast into a fascinating jigsaw of neuroses, which then leap from the screen thanks to his intriguingly intellectual script.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

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Empire Magazine

A mature, beautifully acted and deeply sexy film.

December 9, 2011 Full Review Source: Film4

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Film4

a thoughtful and absorbing portrait of unconventional human relationships

November 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk

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James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

A Liaisons Dangereuses for the video age, Soderbergh's impressive debut is a tale of desire, anxiety, and deception, in which the camera of a sexually impotent man becomes the lead player and storytelling device.

September 27, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

A bitter yet savory time capsule of discontent.

September 24, 2006 Comment

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

The actors are superb; working from Soderbergh's funny, perceptive, immaculately wrought dialogue, they ensure that the film stimulates both intellectually and emotionally.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Steven Soderbergh didn't just launch the whole movies-with-all-lowercase-titles craze (as it's commonly written), he also launched the '90s rebirth of independent cinema with this singular effort.

September 18, 2005 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for sex, lies, and videotape

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A film with real depth in sexual desire and repression, Soderbergh bring his A-game for his debut film. Peter Gallagher, Annie Mcdowell, and James Spader are strong in their roles when prying in others' lives. Great watch!

January 26, 2012

paul oh

Super Reviewer

There's a reason Steven Soderbergh's first film is considered to be the starting point of modern indie films. 'sex, lies, and videotape' is an immensely powerful, well-written, and almost painfully honest movie. A bit ambiguous towards the end (as many indie films tend to become), but overall, its insanely captivating and real.

January 12, 2012