Sex Is Comedy

2002 Directed by Catherine Breillat

A director struggles with a difficult sex scene between a young actor and actress who can't stand one another. Aided by her loyal assistant, she is hell-bent on getting the scene right without compromise.

Anne Parillaud Grégoire Colin Roxane Mesquida Ashley Wanninger Dominique Colladant Bart Binnema

94 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Sally Jane Black 4

"This isn't actually a comedy hur hur." Thanks, every review out there. I just want to know what Roxane Mesquida's take on all this was, but all I can find are Roger Ebert's tone deaf, idiotic review (holy shit it's bad), and everyone else repeating that this film isn't actually a comedy. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. You'll all go into this defended against accidentally enjoying yourselves!
It ends with the director eating a banana. How is that not a comedy, you jerks?
Breillat is "not a feminist" the way oxygen is "not an element," which is to say, what the fuck are you talking about. Perhaps your work is not specifically designed as a tool to empower women,…
Review by Kurdt ★★★★

I learnt more from this than I did with Truffaut’s Day For Night. Enjoyed it a lot more, too. Based on Breillat’s experience directing Fat Girl, her surrogate character Jeanne films an intimate sex scene between two actors who hate each other. To make this even more meta, Roxane Mesquida basically plays herself reprising her own role from Fat Girl. It’s an interesting discussion on how to direct certain actors, and how finding that balance between forceful and friendly can be the difference between a scene failing spectacularly or eking out the specks of good acting from an otherwise lousy performer. I appreciate how in-depth this was in regards to the filmmaking process. It could easily pass as a documentary,…
Review by taurusvenus ★★★★½ 2

I’m not sure how it would play for those who haven’t seen FAT GIRL, but I believe this is Catherine Breillat’s best work! 🍌
Review by Arthur Tuoto ★★★★

Ao refletir sobre os meandros cinematográficos da concepção de uma cena de sexo, o filme lida com toda uma engenharia social de sutilezas, ambiguidades voyeurísticas e outros fetiches implícitos. A alegoria breillatiana é desconstruída tanto no sentido de uma temática como de uma forma. Existe uma narrativa interna dos bastidores muito bem situada, um microcosmo no ambiente do estúdio que vai além de um mero flerte metalinguístico, lida com circunstâncias concretas. Estamos diante de um filme não só sobre a encenação do sexo, mas um filme sobre o sexo. A cena final deixa isso mais do que claro, toda a trajetória criativa, todo o rodeio relacional, vira pó quando a encenação em si supera qualquer poder de sugestão; o registro instintivo da circunstância sexual revela a aptidão cinematográfica do ato.
Review by Nathan ★★★★

Another Filmstuck film (I really need to start watching more to get my money’s worth. It’s such a good service)
This film’s concept is simple: A director is trying to direct two actors who don’t get along but who have to film a sex scene together.
The concept is simple, but there is more than enough meat there to fill an interesting feature film. It really delves into the reality of filmmaking and directing actors who aren’t comfortable with the scenes they’re filming. It also sheds a light on the unique position of an actor who has to do a sex scene and the division between real sexual intimacy and acting. There’s a lot of interesting perspective, captivating dialogue, and…
Review by Rigo Ayala ★★★½

Another fabulous movie from Catherine Breillat, this time about the difficulties of shooting a sex scene in a movie. This is the perfect complement for "Fat Girl".

Recent reviews

Review by Alison Major ★★★★½

This is one of my new all-time favorite endings.
Review by Lennart ★★

35˚
Review by shadowmoses7 ★★★★½

- I'm becoming a fan of Catherine Breillat after seeing this film and her other great film "Fat Girl
- If you look at the reception of most of her films it is incredibly polarizing. Most of her films aren't actually rated highly.
- I think she is unfairly criticized to be honest
- As a result of all this criticism by many people, her works appear to be overlooked. Which is sad imho
- Perhaps it's because she has heavily perverse sexual content in her films, who knows?
- This film if anything provides a nuanced view of the film making process. It is a film about a film. Reminding in some ways of Francois Truffaut's "Day For Night"…
Review by Dino ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

When I found out that the penis in Fat Girl was just a prosthetic: media1.tenor.com/images/8b8efa4f6f13b675b82e2a8c4a1e3352/tenor.gif?itemid=11338283
Review by MrPerkins ★★★½

Anne Parillaud is marvelous, but the real joy here is how enormous the subtitles are.
Review by Cinemology ★½

Working out to basically a long essay on directing by a probable sociopath. Daring aspects of this film but seems like a dimestore pornographic La Nuit American. There is a seeming call and response between the suggestion of sexuality, the falsity of this film within a film and the director’s very explicit follow-up. Literally some of the worst advice you could give on directing is preached as gospel in this film, and the sheer fact that the director gets what she wants is reinforcing terrible behavior. Watched on MUBI
Review by Andre ★★★½

Words are lies, bodies are there. I have to show the truth.
42/52
Review by LamLingus

I can't seem to trust average user ratings on Catherine Breillat's films because each one I've seen has been fascinating and revelatory in ways not many other films are. I'm not surprised her films are not for everyone but it shouldn't be hard to appreciate what she is doing. This film is an excellent watch for anyone who just saw her movie Fat Girl and in a way is almost essential. It is still a splendid film in it's own right and tackles very different dynamics of sexuality from the framework of a director and actors.
P.S It is in fact a comedy
Review by Pok Manero ★★★★★

Breillat nos da una dosis de meta-realidad al igual que años más tarde con Abus de faiblesse, retomando partes de su vida privada. En este caso, retrata la filmación de su anterior filme, À ma soeur!, mostrando las interacciones entre actores y directores, hombres y mujeres, artistas y prima donnas, todo con una gran naturalidad para llevarnos a una conclusión contundente. Una excelente exploración de las dificultades de filmar una escena erótica que trasciende su tema, mucho mejor logrado que en Art History, de Joe Swanberg.