ASIN B000LAZDQA
Rent this now from Netflix
also available to buy ($27.98) from
Amazon
Reviewed by Gary Meyer
(04/11/07)
What a surprise to find a classy, tender, thoughtful picture with lots and lots of uncensored, unsimulated, come-splattered sex. John Cameron Mitchell, who directed, co-wrote, co-composed, and starred in the indescribable (that's a compliment) tragic transsexual glam-rock opera Hedwig and the Angry Inch, here works in much softer tones. Hedwig's not an easy film to take -- the angry inch refers to the result of a botched, back-alley gender reassignment. Shortbus is easier on its characters and fundamentally hopeful as it tracks their befuddled efforts to make sense of, to control, to harness the overwhelming power of their physical desires.
Titled after a regular sex party held at a Manhattan "salon for the gifted and challenged" named after the small school bus that conveys the special students, Shortbus treats sex as vital and natural, messy and funny, satisfying and insatiable. The most infectious aspect, for a change, is its sense of humor: "Justin, somebody came on your cat!" There's a great take on stilted literary erotica: "your pertinent nipples," a Kama-Sutra-worthy montage of virtuoso positions that resembles an aerobics workout, and an impromptu rendition of the National Anthem sung into...well, that would be telling.
The eponymous sex party brings together Sofia, a pre-orgasmic couples counselor, aka a sex therapist who can't come; her submission-fantasizing husband Rob; Severin, a professional dominatrix oddly named after the male submissive protagonist of Venus in Furs; and cute gay poster couple Jamie and James, looking to open their relationship ("monogamy is for straight people"). Jamie's a glib ex-child-star. James is a depressed ex-hustler. There's also Severin's "trust fund muffin" client, J and J's longtime voyeur who has more of a stake in their relationship than they do, and their mutual new boyfriend. Playing himself is Justin Bond, the fabulous irrepressible impresario of Shortbus.
New York City is a major character, too. Justin explains that Shortbus has taken off due to its recent influx of young people, drawn by 9/11, "the only real thing that ever happened to them." The city's described as the place where everyone comes to get fucked and to be forgiven, the place where it's always possible to keep believing that anything can happen. And there's a blackout. What would New York City be without a blackout?
The set-up's for a classic partner-switching romantic comedy and that's what this is, except it doesn't fast forward the wet parts. The characters and story were developed by director Mitchell working along with the cast members, who auditioned by recounting an important sexual experience they'd had. The finished product balances perfectly between spontaneous and scripted, with lots of sharp quick dialogue bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball:
"What about your husband? Does he ever try to get you off?"
"This is not about Rob. 70 percent of women have trouble achieving orgasm."
"Yeah, well, 70 percent of men are assholes."
Hey, a sex movie where the characters not only actually talk, but have things to say! Add a terrific comedic set piece involving the meanderings of the remote control for a vibrating egg, a couple of Hedwig-style wildly creative musical numbers, solid cinematography, and a topnotch digital transfer and this one's a keeper.
The sex feels real -- uncinematic, as well as unporny, especially in how gently and tentatively much of it begins. The label "hardcore" doesn't fit at all. Here desire takes the form of longing, rather than lust. The gay threesome hesitates, taking quite a while to decide to get it on, contrary to both the stereotype of gay male action and to Hollywood's typically instant (and very brief) bouts of passion. There are even authentic-looking orgy scenes. Rarest of all, Shortbus treats sex with a sense of wonder that illuminates its characters' faces, a sense of reverence for its miraculous potential to blow us away and put us back together healed:
"Look at all these people out there. They're trying to find the right connection. And I personally expect a few blown fuses before the night is over."
