Shortbus

Me and the boyfriend went down to the Laemmle 5 on Sunset last night to catch a sneak preview of John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus. The first half was very entertaining, but things started to unravel after that. It’s been dubbed by some critics as “middle class porn” and to some extent, I guess I can see that. The sex certainly doesn’t look simulated at all.

I kind of like how– initially at least– the graphic sex was kept real by some engaging characters. The threeway romp with James, Jamie, and Ceth was enlivened by what is probably the most hilarious rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner ever. And there’s certainly something to be said for a movie where a character describes a sexual free-for-all as, “Just like the sixties, only without the hope.”

Too bad then that the last half gets lost. And what does it mean then that in the end, everything is solved (including a citywide blackout) by the release of sexual energy?