12/365 Better than Sex

Starring:   David Wenham, Susie Porter

Genre: Indie Romantic Comedy

Discovery:  This was a Netflix recommendation

Summary:  Josh and Cin meet at a nightclub and decide to embark on a one night stand; if only it was that easy.  What ensues is a he said/ she said retelling of their love affair.

First Glance:  The way this movie opens is a film pet peeve of mine: series of close ups trying to show us what happened the night before & extreme closeups of the two people waking up.  Determined, I kept watching and was soon rewarded with the typical aussie brand of humor.  The director used faux interviews & flashbacks to show us how this couple fell in love despite that being the last thing they wanted to happen.  V.O’s added an interesting element to let us know what was going on in the minds of Josh and Cin.

Deeper Look:   There is a laughter that comes when something is so shockingly irreverent, I found myself slightly uncomfortable and yet smirking because of the veracity that they captured of a budding romance.  If you get embarassed by sexual situations, do not watch this flick.  Even though I did enjoy the story there were a few glaring weaknesses. 1) the film became way too artsy for its own good at certain moments (& it broke the 4th wall; a no-no) 2)  wanted to see more of the couple interact in the “real world”.  SPOILER:  One of my favorite scenes comes when he tells her they should go out for a bite to eat and that launches her into a 2 hour long marathon of “getting ready”. Very cute.  (Behind the scenes girl says:  for all its shortcomings it made me laugh, and that isn’t bad)

What I Took Away from this Movie:  Love reveals itself in the most interesting ways.

Final Glimpse:  The Australian peeps have the best senses-of-humor, I am convinced of it.