Cameron Diaz is no stranger to adult comedies. For Sex Tape she re-teams with her Bad Teacher crew, director Jake Kasdan and co-star Jason Segel, for another romp on the big screen. This time around the movie has a slightly different take on the genre, while still maintaining a very similar feel to Bad Teacher. There’s plenty of sex and plenty of adult humor, but the film is far more focused than most adult comedies.
While there are laughs throughout the movie, the first act is pretty bland aside from the kids. Annie (Cameron Diaz) and Jay (Jason Segel) are married with two kids, and several friends in similar situations. It’s the children that generate most of the laughs throughout the first 30 minutes of the film. In fact, many of the jokes that Diaz and company initiated simply fell flat.
It’s the middle of the movie where things really begin to take off. It’s crazy antics mixed with ridiculous situations that really pick up the pace and bring the film to life after a fairly bland opening act. Unfortunately, the film can’t maintain this momentum and eventually falls back to lackluster pacing and uninspired jokes.
The film revolves heavily around Annie and Jay, but Annie’s future boss Hank (Rob Lowe), really helps to pick things up during almost every scene he’s featured in. Annie and Jay’s best friends, Tess (Ellie Kemper) and Robby (Rob Corddry) add a bit of flavor to the film as well, but they shine far less often than their diabolical offspring Howard (Harrison Holzer). In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that Holzer’s portrayal of Howard was the crowning moment of the film.
For the men who may not be interested based on the previews, this is far more of an adult comedy for men and women than it is a romantic comedy aimed at females. Unlike the last adult comedy that featured Cameron Diaz, The Other Woman, there’s a lot of humor for men to enjoy here. Granted, the primary draw for men will likely be the numerous shots of Cameron Diaz and her bare buttocks, but you’ll also have to put up with a near equal amount of rear shots from Jason Segel.
Sex Tape isn’t a bad comedy. It has plenty of laughs for people with a wide range of humor. However, it definitely has a multitude of missteps in the beginning and end of the film. The laughs are almost exclusively reserved for the second act, aside from a few choice moments with the children in the first act and a surprise appearance from another star in the final act, that could make a few fans smile.
The movie has a runtime of only 94 minutes, but by the time the credits role, it feels more like two hours had passed. That’s not a great feeling to have at the end of a raunchy adult comedy, but that’s what happens when a film ends with 20 minutes of flat jokes and a predictable “what did we learn from all of this” moment. Even with a few hiccups, Sex Tape is one of the better adult comedies Cameron Diaz has been a part of, and should be an enjoyable experience for fans of her previous movies.
Sex Tape:[usr 3.25]
About Sex Tape
Synopsis: A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts.
Director: Jake Kasdan
Writers: Kate Angelo, Jason Segel
Stars: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry
Rated: R
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
