The Opposite of Sex

Opposites attract

The Opposite of Sex narrates a tale of a sixteen year old girl, Dedee Truit, and her events in her life over one summer. The narrator of the tale is Dedee herself (Christina Ricci). When her stepfather (whom she hated) dies, Dedee decides to abandon her mother and visit her gay step-brother, Bill (Martin Donovan). Dedee makes it clear from the outset that the only thing she cares about is herself, and the only reason she wants to visit Bill is because he is rich. Bill is an English teacher, and inherited money from his previous partner, Tom, who died from Aids. When she arrives, she manages to completely disrupt Bill's life by seducing Bill's latest boyfriend Matt (Ivan Sergei) and earning the enmity of the Tom's sister, Lucia (Lisa Kudrow). Dedee persuades the good-looking but very dim Matt to run off with her (after they relieve Bill of $10,000), and Bill's gloom is complete when a rather effeminate Jason (Johnny Galecki) appears and demands Matt's whereabouts. He claims to be dating Matt too.

Don Roos's offbeat comedy takes a wry and quirky look at relationships without being contrived. The formula is simple; great cast and razor-sharp script. Dedee thinks of herself as clever and conniving, whereas she is merely manipulative and her narration is a constant attempt to portray herself as the smartest character, though she is frequently outwitted by Lucia and Carl (Lyle Lovett), a policeman friend of Bill's. Dedee's half-baked stream of consciousnes on homosexual behaviour is particularly funny :- she's not exactly homophobic, but she is deeply suspicious of both Bill and Matt for their choice of lifestyle. Since Dedee uses her own sexuality merely to get what she wants, she assumes everyone else does the same. As she says (about sex), "You can pretty much do anything if you can hold your breath for 10 minutes". She is also contemptuous of Lucia, who is pretty much disillusioned by life (and the sexual antics of those she meets), and has chosen solitude rather than the risk of rejection.

Ricci's performance is excellent, and cannot be regarded as a child actor after this role. Though her character is anything but subtle, Ricci resists the obvious and her selfish, self-centred but not terribly bright Dedee is frighteningly real. The real revelation is Kudrow, exuding bitterness that you can nearly taste, without being pathetic. I've never been much of a fan of her TV role in Friends, but, for my money, the best parts of the film involve her. Lovett has little to do, Sergei (as Matt) is competent but is not really stretched in the role of an affable hunk. Donovan, a regular collaborator of Hal Hartley, is strangely soporific - his Bill is perhaps a little too detached from the events unfolding about him.

Roos (who's previous work as a writer include Boys on the Side and Single White Female) is refreshing from many perspectives :- a refusal to take sides (even Dedee gains our grudging admiration), an unsensational portrayal of gay relationships, interesting characterisations and a genuinely funny story.

Directed and Written by Don Roos.

© 1999 Stockholm Film Review. All Rights Reserved.