Sex and Death 101

Winona Ryder re-teams with the man who wrote 'Heathers'

By Geoff Berkshire

Metromix
April 3, 2008

 
Critic's Rating:
1

Sex and Death 101
Winona Ryder in "Sex and Death 101" (Credit: Anchor Bay)
Photos:
A scene from the film "Sex and Death 101." A scene from the film "Sex and Death 101." A scene from the film "Sex and Death 101."
Sex and Death 101
Running time:
100 minutes
Rated:
R
Cast:
Simon Baker -
Roderick Blank
Winona Ryder -
Gilian/Nell
Leslie Bibb -
Miranda
Mindy Cohn -
Trixie
Julie Bowen -
Fiona
See full cast
Director:
Daniel Waters
Official Movie Web Site:
http://sexanddeath101movie.com/
Overall User Rating:
0 (0 ratings)
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Roderick Blank (Simon Baker, living down to his character’s name) receives an anonymous e-mail with a list of all the women he’ll sleep with before he dies. That quickly brings an end to his relationship with high-maintenance fiancée Fiona (Julie Bowen), but as Roderick works his way through the list (including women played by Sophie Monk, Leslie Bibb and Frances Fisher) he gets closer to an inevitable meeting with vigilante sex crime avenger “Death Nell” (Winona Ryder).

Big question:
Does Ryder’s reunion with “Heathers” screenwriter Daniel Waters re-capture any of the spark of that seminal ‘80s dark comedy?

Skip it: “Sex and Death 101” has far more in common with Waters’ barely-distributed, quickly-forgotten directorial debut “Happy Campers” than his “Heathers” heyday. It’s just sad to witness a writer responsible for so many classic quotables stoop to penning the line “embarrassment of bitches.”

Catch it: Roderick’s tryst with the “beyond ultimate lesbian power couple” and Monk’s gratuitous nude scene at least guarantee that someone will get what they want out of this mess. But even those viewers will make heavy use of the fast forward button when they catch this on DVD.

Bottom line:
By crafting a darkly comic subplot about vengeance killings, and then casting Ryder as the self-appointed executioner, Waters practically begs for “Heathers” comparisons. But his attempts at witty dialogue just land with a thud nearly twenty years later. By the time this overlong disaster reaches a forced happy ending there’s nothing left but the realization that you’ve just seen one of the most pointless films ever made about sex or death.

Bonus: Waters was one of three credited writers on the 1993 Sylvester Stallone movie “Demolition Man,” and as an inside joke he puts the name of Sandra Bullock’s character, Lenina Huxley on Roderick’s list. Yes, the rest of the movie is every bit that funny.

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