Sex Is Comedy
IFC Films | Release Date: October 20, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
7
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Shows a beguiling aptitude for self-mockery in the pursuit of polemic. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderTed Shen
So perversely enjoyable it gives the lie to her (Breillat's) image as a serious, politically incorrect purveyor of pornographic instincts. Read full review
80
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
When she (Breillat) succeeds, as she does in "Fat Girl" and in the final minutes of Sex Is Comedy, the impact can be overwhelming for filmmaker and audience alike. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
Those who are already in her (Breillat) camp will find much to feed on in this at once intellectualized and accessible, documentary-style peek inside the head of a passionately driven woman and artist. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Breillat's first foray into comedy is playful, whip-smart and far breezier in both tone and look than the stylized gender polemics she's known for. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. Musetto
It's a sweet and light-hearted endeavor that shows Breillat isn't a one-trick pony. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
A rigorous and bracingly charming movie about moviemaking. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Mostly, constant little reminders show that Breillat knows the business of movies in her bones. You can learn from it and enjoy it -- two things I never thought possible to say about a Breillat film until now. Read full review
70
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
It opens fissures through which we can glimpse oddities and strains in film directing and acting. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Parillaud's performance is sharp on its surface and soft at its core. And if Jeanne truly is Breillat's alter ego, she is a pitiless self-portrait. Read full review
70
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Breillat also offers sharp insights into the love-hate relationship between directors and actors. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
By Breillat's usually dire standards, this is practically a laff riot, and if you want to see her funniest, most accessible movie, this is the one to watch. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It feels too self-satisfied, but the prickly personalities and relationships have the ring of experience. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The film's central flaw is that the characters are haphazardly developed, and don't come across as more interesting than the props. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
This is amusing, and even poignant in the final moments. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Sex Is Comedy is not sure what it's really about, or how to get there; the director is seen as flighty and impulsive, the situations seem like set-ups, and we never know what the Actor and Actress are really thinking -- or if thinking has anything to do with it. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRich Cline
It captures both the exhilaration and tedium of the filmmaking process--and of looking for and finding passion wherever it might be. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Enjoyable if light, until it becomes apparent that Breillat is not simply waxing narcissistic but fashioning a simultaneous critique, explication, and demystification of the lengthy, near-single-take defloration that is Fat Girl's centerpiece. Read full review
50
VarietyLisa Nesselson
A not terribly creative movie about the creative process. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Talky and mostly humorless, but interesting as a reflection of Breillat's experiences directing her own popular film "Fat Girl" in 2001. Read full review
50
The New York TimesDana Stevens
The result is a minor, meandering film. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
A strange creature, a narcissistic mock documentary. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
The "comedy" part of Sex is Comedy comes intentionally from cast-crew interaction. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Annoying, soporific and singularly humorless. Read full review
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