OPPOSITE OF SEX IS WELL CRAFTED AND CLEVER
If you want to watch a movie that is what I think is an example of an excellent narrative style, go watch the Opposite of Sex. Not only that, you have Christina Ricci in a role that is amazing in that she has gone so far away from her "Casper the friendly ghost" child roles (she has grown up - you'll know what i mean - so much since the Ice Storm). The reason why I liked the narrative so much is because like the Castle, the film is narrated (by Ricci), who plays a girl with a 'troubled' childhood. From the first few very funny lines and scenes, we follow her on this filmic journey (which does have its flaws in the filmic sense). She goes to meet her step brother, who we find is gay and coming off from the death of his partner. His current boyfriend plays an important part in the film because (SPOILER ALERT!!!!!! PLOT TWIST REVEALED)
Ricci's character successfully pushes him onto "the other side". He sleeps with her, and she announces she is pregnant. The structure of the film is pretty ordinary, but it is kept fresh by the amazingly clever and witty voice over's by our humble narrator. In this sense, it is like Clockwork Orange, because (I did anyway) I you end up liking this person when you're just not supposed to. This is why some "moralistic" critics would be upset, but they are idiots. Apart from Ricci's amazing acting, Lisa Cudrow does amazing things in her scenes (no sex). I've always like Cudrow, but here, she's more than the normal idiot she plays on friends. The film does drag a little, and this is kept in check by Cudrow or Ricci rescuing a scene. Sometimes the film maker seems to go for some emotional quality, but uses the same music when he goes to mock any of those 'emotional' scenes. This undermines the serious aspects from the satire, and hence the movie is slightly diminished. Also, the unreality of parts of the situation could lead many in the audience to distance themselves, but because Ricci is guiding us through the film, it is hard to get distracted too often. I really liked this film, and I'll give it a high mark.
85/100