MOVIE NIGHT
SEX TAPE (2014)
Sex Tape promised to be quite the must-see with two incredibly popular actors with great comedic timing. While Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel do a convincing job portraying a married couple who want to spice up their sex life, the film doesn't quite manage to live up to its funny and promising trailer. When Jay (Segel) and Annie (Diaz) met each other when they were both students, the sparks seemed to fly absolutely everywhere whenever they were together. They couldn't get enough of one another, but now, ten years of marriage and two kids later, those good old days seem to have completely disappeared, just like the passion in their relationship. In a last attempt to spice things up, Jay and Annie decide to make their own sex tape. They end up filming themselves while they take on all the different positions in The Joy of Sex and they have an amazing evening together. The next day, they both decide it's for the best to delete the video. However, it turns out to be too late as the video has already been uploaded to the Cloud and available to their family and friends...
After seeing the trailer, I had high hopes for this film. I couldn't think of two actors who would be more suitable for the roles of Annie and Jay than Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, who both have a great sense of comedic timing and have good chemistry together on the screen. Yet, director Jake Kasdan, who is known for the 2011 comedy Bad Teacher (also starring both Diaz and Segel), didn't quite manage to deliver a film that lives up to its trailer, in my opinion. While the casting is great (not just the main parts, but also the secondary roles are convincing and fun) and the start of the film is really strong, the middle was quite disappointing and didn't really seem to go anywhere. The film is definitely funny in places, but as the story progressed, the storyline seemed to take a strange turn and when the credits appeared, I wasn't quite sure what to think. While Sex Tape is a naughty romantic comedy that will make many people laugh, it didn't live up to expectations. Fun to watch on a night in, but unfortunately not a film that will leave a lasting impression for years to come.
Movie reviewed by Jody Hoekstra