It's all about sex. People talking about sex, and people having sex. Frankly.

But it's also about where do we draw the line, and how do we decide what happened between a man and a woman when both have had way too much to drink.

Furthermore, it explores if and when "No" means no or not :-).

The film got poor ratings overseas, I think the reviewers concentrated too much on the detail of the picture and missed the issues which the script was trying to address.

If there is a moral to the tale, it is not about sex, but about alcohol: be responsible and don't get drunk, because things can happen which you did not want, potentially messing up the rest of your life.

The film follows the pattern of sexual intercouse, starting off slowly with foreplay, going through intercourse, before ending with afterplay. The plot does take a while to develop, so be patient and stick with it.

There are two (okay, three) sexual acts, which try to show three different styles of men and women getting sexual gratification: one mutually consensual act of intercourse between two people who hardly know each other, and hardly say a word to each other during the act, and then go their seperate ways again; one scene in which the woman jumps the man, handcuffs him to the bed, and whips and fondles him; and the crucial "date-rape" scene, in which the man and the woman swear to differing versions of what actually happened.

By presenting these in contrast to each other, the film shows up the double standards prevalent in western society today. For example, if the second sex act above had had the roles reversed, with the man handcuffing and abusing the woman in spite of pleas to stop, we would have viewed the scene very differently. Now why is that? In this age of sexual equality, why do we still have double standards?

Further, just where should we draw the line when a woman invites a known womaniser into her house, and allows him to remove her blouse and play with her breasts? Is that not an invitation to further sexual activity?

And so I found the philosophy of the film very interesting. Other reviewers in the audience thought less of the film, so probably I am in the minority again. But if you enjoy "Sex and the City" on TV you should find plenty of food for thought here.

Last comment: I think the makers set out to create problems in relationships around the world by using such over-sized dildos in the oral sex classes... :-)

-- Ian Douglas