Sex. There's
a lot of it in this film. A one night stand between Josh and
Cin turns into something more. It doesn't cover new territory,
with its depiction of gender wars, opinions about sex and
relationships from talking heads (the two main characters'
friends). I'm not too sure if there really is anything new
to say really (except probably to people who haven't started
dating yet, like… 30 yo virgins or something), so really,
it depends on how the material is handled and acted out.
I can't say I can totally believe that two people can find
something meaningful from what started out as basic as a brief
sexual fling (it probably happens to people… just not
anyone I know). But Wenham and Porter have considerable talents
enough to carry off a slight plot to give their characters
enough credibility, performing with naturalness and charm.
I have to say that I get disappointed sometimes with the obvious
dating clichés trotted out, like how long a woman takes
to get ready to go out and the toilet habits of a typical
male; to scenes of Josh walking to soulful music after having
a bit of a tiff with Cin. But I found this film agreeable
enough to overlook its obviousness.
"Better than Sex" is really an adult fairy tale.
Besides the obvious romance development angle, there are elements
like the wise, all-knowing (and all-meddling) taxi driver
who intervenes a fair bit to get the romance going; and the
tarty best friend who fails to seduce the leading man away
from the leading woman, proving that love conquers all (including
a plunging neckline). I can't say very much more about this
film. It plays for laughs (the gentle chuckling kind) rather
than any emotional or dramatic depth. Still, there are those
sex scenes.
