Sex Tape is a romantic comedy released in 2014. It was directed by Jake Kasdan, with Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel featuring as a married couple who unintentionally share an intimate video with their friends and family. The film not only blends humor with modern views on relationships and technology but also sheds light on the struggle to maintain intimacy in long-term marriages. Although its title suggests a scandalous affair, the primary goal of the film is to convey a sincere message about communication.
Released in July 2014 as a Columbia Pictures production, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch served as the producers, while Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller, and Kate Angelo penned the screenplay. The film performed modestly at the box office and received mixed to negative reviews from critics.
Plot Summary
The plot follows Annie and Jay Hargrove, a suburban couple, with two children. Annie and Jay met during college and were once very intimate and affectionate towards one another. However, as it is common with many couples who marry and have children, their sex life completely diminished over time. Alongside a demanding job and endless chores, they have grown emotionally disconnected and exhausted.
In an attempt to rekindle their intimacy, Annie proposes they record themselves attempting every position in “The Joy of Sex.” Using Jay’s iPad, they capture three hours of their passionate night. Very satisfied and quite amused, they fall asleep. Unbeknownst to them, Jay has one notable lapse: not wiping the video.
Due to Apple’s cloud ecosystem and an app that automatically uploads media, the couple’s sex tape is synced onto several iPads that were gifted to family, friends, and even Annie’s boss, the mailman, and their close friends.
Realizing what has happened, Annie and Jay go into full panic mode. Comedic chaos ensues as they attempt to remove the tape before it can be accessed from other devices. Their frantic retrieval process leads them to break into homes, sneak into offices, and even confront the CEO of a tech company, all in a desperate attempt to delete the video from the cloud.
As they attempt to retrieve the devices, deeper issues in their marriage surface—trust, honesty, vulnerability, and the challenge of remaining connected as partners and not just as co-parents. Throughout the course of the movie, we see them begin to appreciate each other and the importance of intimacy in their relationship.
With the help of a tech CEO, the couple successfully removes the video from the cloud, destroys the hard copy, erases all traces of the video and reaffirmed their love. Although the chaos was humiliating, it brought them closer together, helping restore the passion they thought was lost.
Cameron Diaz plays Annie Hargrove, a devoted wife and mother trying to manage the domestic life and her identity as a passionate woman. As always, Diaz delivers charm and comedic timing to the character.
Jay Hargrove is portrayed by Jason Segel. He is Annie’s husband, a music lover, friendly, and a bit more disorganized than he realizes. Segel, who is also one of the screenwriters, portrays this character with relatable everyman appeal.
Rob Corddry and Ellie Kemper play Tess and Robby respectively, who are the couple’s best friends that unintentionally receive the video. The two bring forth some of the most funny and cringeworthy moments from the film through their interactions.
Rob Lowe features as Hank Rosenbaum, a boss who is Annie’s a tech executive with a secretive and rather wild persona. His interactions with Annie and Jay rank among the most surreal in the film.
Jack Black makes a cameo as a pornographic website owner who, interestingly, ponders about internet privacy and shares his views in a philosophical manner.
The humor the film’s strong and capable cast delivers is an interesting blend of slapstick, wit, and sincerity, making it appropriate for the film’s style.
Themes and Messages
Sex Tape is raunchy at first glance, but beneath the surface lie themes more profound than the title suggests.
Contemporary Relationships and Intimacy
Core to the film’s narrative is the notion of intimacy evolving with time. Annie and Jay’s character arc embodies a couple’s relatable struggle to keep romance alive after years of routine and obligations. The sex tape symbolizes extreme measures couples sometimes misguidedly resort to in an effort to restore intimacy.
Privacy Type Issues and Technology.
The modern day technology conflict serves as the backbone of the movie’s plot—sharing private content. The film highlights interconnectedness of modern devices and the seeming lack of control individuals hold over their data, as well as the ease with which private information can be exposed.
Trust and Communication
Annie and Jay’s efforts to rectify a blunder simultaneously reveals problems that have long existed in their marriage. This journey requires them to face their fears, be it fear of aging and growing old, parenting, or feeling unattractive. In confronting these vulnerabilities, they emerge with a renewed sense of connection.
Direction and Style
Director of the film Jake Kasdan is known for directing Bad Teacher and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, He balances apreciative humor with authentic emotional sections. The pacing is brisk, the timing sharp, the comical elements such as break-ins, mistaken identities, and awkward confrontations are all presented with vigor.
The bright and clean cinematography conveys “suburban gloss” which is at odds with the film’s premise. The score is light and energetic, accentuating the playful yet high-stakes nature of the couple’s antics.
Critical Reception
Overall, critics have agreed that ‘Sex Tape’ has not been executed well. Many people believe that while the plot had potential, the execution was unbalanced. The consensus centers around the fact that the film, although interesting, did not go in-depth enough while exploring the themes it presented.
Nonetheless, some viewers noted the film’s humorous approach to serious relationship problems and thought the on-screen relationship of Diaz and Segel was both credible and enjoyable. Although it was panned by most critics, Sex Tape did find a market for adult themed comedies which centered around familiar topics.
Box Office and Legacy
Released in July of 2014, the film grossed close to $126 million globally, outpacing its production budget of $40 million. While its performance was nowhere near a significant success, it did manage to pull in reasonable revenue because of the star power of its cast and the film’s highly marketable plot.
Sex Tape may lack a significant cultural legacy, but it is illustrative of the early 2010s romantic comedies that sought to blend crude humor with sentimental drama about marriage. It is notable for being one of the few mainstream comedies that openly dealt with issues such as dwindling enthusiasm for intimacy in long-term relationships, albeit in a wildly outlandish way.
Final Thoughts
Sex Tape endeavors to portray a modern marriage, infused with technology, through the lens of crude humor and the difficulties that come with these marriage challenges. Although it may be uneven in its critical reception, the film has its share of laugh-out-loud moments, tender dialogues, and meditations on love after years of marriage and children.
Sex Tape is a romantic comedy film that captivates adult audiences with its humorous and absurd moments, though it remains somewhat flawed. The core message of the film, that maintaining love and intimacy need effort, honesty, and the ability to laugh at oneself, is relatable amid its frantic storyline.
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