Shortbus
THINKFilm | Release Date: October 4, 2006
7.3
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 90 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
59
Mixed:
17
Negative:
14
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
ScottF.Aug 2, 2007
The wild and varied range of reactions elicited by this movie demonstrate that it does indeed strike a chord. Watch it and be moved.
2 of 2 users found this helpful
10
BranHOct 24, 2006
This movie's graphic representation of sex will upset many, and as a result the film will be viewed as - indeed, as we can already see, it is being viewed as - polarizing. It's a shame, though, that it's "porno" content is This movie's graphic representation of sex will upset many, and as a result the film will be viewed as - indeed, as we can already see, it is being viewed as - polarizing. It's a shame, though, that it's "porno" content is getting so much press. Shortbus is a richly layered, well-directed, and, frankly, well-acted film that eschews traditional conventions of characterization and narrative in favor of something strikingly more familiar: real life. In Shortbus, our 3 leads examine their identities and their personal growth through various lenses, sex being one of those. Shortbus examines the conventional and non-conventional approaches we take to self-understanding and emotional growth in sincere, warm, and, I think, very true ways. John Cameron Mitchell gives himself all the tools he needs to examine our experience - including sexuality - and infuses them with genuine confusion, humor, and bliss. This doesn't look or play out like Hollywood acting or direction; it plays out like life. Which is probably why a lot of people won't get it.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful
10
kings7Oct 1, 2011
A movie that makes you feel and think and is as good as any. It's a shame that not many people will see it, and some that start it won't get through it. It has a rare depth and perspicacity. Very successful, indeed.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
10
JasonOct 21, 2006
Feel-good movie of the year. In so many ways.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
DanK.Oct 5, 2006
One of my top 5 movie experiences!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JohnBMar 9, 2007
Best film of last year next to Children of God, Borat and Red Road. Moving, hilarious, indirectly political, ultimate hopeful.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MelanieM.Nov 3, 2006
I laughed and cried - a great movie about being human.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
ThomasF.Oct 16, 2006
This joyful and hopeful movie uses sex as a metaphor for the awkwardness and clumsiness of life. Yet sex is also depicted as art, as liberation and as part of the solution to the deep yearning of the soul. It's a beautiful motif because This joyful and hopeful movie uses sex as a metaphor for the awkwardness and clumsiness of life. Yet sex is also depicted as art, as liberation and as part of the solution to the deep yearning of the soul. It's a beautiful motif because the sexual acts are not judged by their "propriety" but rather by their ability to get to a deeper meaning in our lives. Of course there's a gentle mocking of therapy as a "shortcut" but also as another metaphoric language that tends to lose its place without a firm grounding in the here and now. The movie is explicit, but the sex is actually quite beautiful in its transgressiveness. Critics who get stuck on the superficial message will be making the same mistake that critics of Crash made -- a form of critical synecdoche where the parts are substituted for the whole. In Shortbus the sex tells us about how we treat one another and urges us away from selfishness or even an exaggerated sense of nobility. These are rejected for a wholesome return to libido as being only a part of a rich and poetic life (despite superficial appearances to the contrary). This film is also quite funny. Go see it for yourself.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JackM.Oct 16, 2006
Shortbus is a remarkable exploration of the interconnection between love and sex. It may be the first film ever to include actual sexual exchange in the development of character. The film delves into the emotions aroused by sex and the role Shortbus is a remarkable exploration of the interconnection between love and sex. It may be the first film ever to include actual sexual exchange in the development of character. The film delves into the emotions aroused by sex and the role of sex in finding meaning and purpose in one's life and relationships. The music, as in Hedwig, is also wonderful.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
MarkusH.Oct 20, 2006
A naively joyful film that celebrates sex instead of using it as a commodity or strictly for prurient interest. Go see this movie!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MichaelP.Oct 5, 2006
Provocative and surprising (in a good way). Not for the mainstream, yet it has a storyline with a mainstream sensibility. The movie has heart. It's not for everyone, but the film works, damn it.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
[Anonymous]Oct 5, 2006
Feel good movie!
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
ThomasOct 7, 2006
Rich portrayal of urban lust (but not the sexual kind).
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
TracyB.Oct 9, 2006
Great film- don't be put off by the sex, there is so much more in this story- very moving.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
LeilaniL.Jan 30, 2007
By far, the best movie I've seen in a couple of years! I read some of the message board reviews on IMDB and was shocked at the backlash from some viewers... Yes, there's real sex in the movie. Yes, it may come as a bit of a shock By far, the best movie I've seen in a couple of years! I read some of the message board reviews on IMDB and was shocked at the backlash from some viewers... Yes, there's real sex in the movie. Yes, it may come as a bit of a shock to most. But John Cameron Mitchell doesn't bring us porn, he brings us food for the mind and for the soul. Personally, I could find parallels between nearly all the characters and people in my life-- even in myself! The film wasn't about sex, but about the people we are and the people we aspire to be. I strongly believe that those who watch this film and can't focus on anything other than the sex are missing the focus and beauty of this film.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
GreyW.Feb 18, 2007
Cameron shows with touch and humour that sex cant do the the job alone. It also takes an invisible rubber band to your partners heart to make you happy. Applause for Cameron and the actors. Well done.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
TimOct 11, 2006
The sex did not arouse me, but the quest for the meaning of it did.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
BillyS.Nov 3, 2006
After you've squirmed down in your seat as far as you can during the opening sequence of Shortbus, you realize it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's sex. Everybody has it, and when they're not having it, they're After you've squirmed down in your seat as far as you can during the opening sequence of Shortbus, you realize it's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's sex. Everybody has it, and when they're not having it, they're thinking about it, when to have it, how to have it, stressing over it, evalulating it. It's sex. Shortbus is a riveting, excruciating sexual journey that has never been seen before in mainstream megaplex cinema. John Cameron Mitchell breaks new ground that he only hinted at with Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Shortbus is quite simply - Brilliant! You will leave the theatre drained and exhilarated at the same time. The cast of unknown actors are fearless, and the hostess, played by Justin Bond (who sang the Christmas song in Imaginary Heroes), sings the number "In The End" that closes the movie with a big "O" that seems fitting considering the whole movie is really about just that. Thank you Mr.Mitchell, Hedwig was a brave start, but Shortbus is audaciously, in-your-face REAL!!!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
CraigDec 15, 2006
Quite simply amazing. A worthy successor to Hedwig & The Angy Inch and so much more. It's funny, it's sad, it's poignant. If you focus on the sex you're missing the whole point: focus on the film.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MichaelL.Oct 8, 2006
I loved this movie. To me, it's a love song to a New York City that no longer exists amid the post-9/11 "Disneyfication" of the Big Apple. It's a toast to the strong connection of disconnected people. I think one needs to have I loved this movie. To me, it's a love song to a New York City that no longer exists amid the post-9/11 "Disneyfication" of the Big Apple. It's a toast to the strong connection of disconnected people. I think one needs to have lived in Manhattan during the 1980s to really appreciate "Shortbus", but anyone with an open mind who isn't sex-phobic should find joy in its uplifting message of hope. And damn, what a sexy cast...… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
GinaN.Apr 19, 2007
Nothing like I've ever seen. Pretty brilliant, actually.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JonathanS.Nov 20, 2006
A very refreshing non-hollywood movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
7
JimGDec 30, 2006
Funny, thoughtful, moving, joyful.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
SionFJMar 17, 2007
If you love life, you'll love SHORTBUS. The characters might seem disfunctional, but they are there to show us that in every soul darkness and light lay equally, waiting for redemption...
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
HalI.Jul 18, 2007
Brilliant. When the Oscars are released from the grip of the radical right, a movie like this will win best picture. A masterpiece that blows the oscar victors of late out of the water.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
JayFJan 19, 2008
Going into this, I knew it was a very sexual movie. I assumed it would be like a porno. I admit, the sex scenes were basically soft-core porn. However, this, remarkably, did not hamper the quality of the movie. This movie is about human Going into this, I knew it was a very sexual movie. I assumed it would be like a porno. I admit, the sex scenes were basically soft-core porn. However, this, remarkably, did not hamper the quality of the movie. This movie is about human connection, and how these emotionally unbalanced people eventually come to terms with everything. The large cast of characters makes it that much more fun. There's many touching scenes in this film. Like when the old man is talking to Ceth and he begins to cry. The kiss Ceth gives him is so not sexual, and it's actually touching. Or when Jamie and James look at each other through the window, and without even saying a word, achieve their peace. My favorite character has to be Severin though. She is the one who is the most misguided, and I don't think she ever truly find her way. But she becomes okay with it. This movie is a work of comic, dramatic, and, dare I say it, romantic greatness. I loved it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
ImpishNov 22, 2006
The best movie of 2006. I was tears at the end, tears of sheer joy.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
RobTDec 22, 2006
This is without a doubt one of the best movies of 2006: it is painfully funny, sad, chock-full-o-sex (which surprisingly neither adds nor takes away from the quality of the film) and based around events that people who live in the NY area This is without a doubt one of the best movies of 2006: it is painfully funny, sad, chock-full-o-sex (which surprisingly neither adds nor takes away from the quality of the film) and based around events that people who live in the NY area are all too familiar with.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
HalfwelshmanDec 14, 2011
You'll never see another film quite like Shortbus. It's a rom-com, a heady emotional drama and a study of sex and desire in one, all broken up by quite graphic sex scenes that wouldn't look out of place in pornography. The way in which theYou'll never see another film quite like Shortbus. It's a rom-com, a heady emotional drama and a study of sex and desire in one, all broken up by quite graphic sex scenes that wouldn't look out of place in pornography. The way in which the sex scenes are performed (i.e. for real), isn't a criticism, on the contrary, after witnessing the first few instances of passion, these scenes lose their shock factor and become woven into the fabric of the film as a whole. Shooting these scenes for real also has an interesting side effect - it allows the actors to introduce a liberal doses of improvised humour to these situations, humour which would be almost impossible to pull off if these moments were simulated. Every scene in the film is a miniature character piece, and it's a testament to the skills of the actors that they've managed to instill their characters with so much depth. The cast appear to be effortlessly natural, and it was entirely left up to them to flesh-out their respective characters and story-lines, therefore the film feels pleasingly organic and completely believable. Despite the flexible nature of the narrative, the plot never loses focus, everything is tied together by quirky, animated sequences which sweep through an abstract version of New York, and the film builds towards an extremely pleasing symbolic, yet emotionally grounded finale. The film isn't just about love, or even lust, it's really about coming to terms with who you are, and exploring your own mind and body. Shortbus isn't all frolicking about with naughty bits on show, either. At points it touches upon some extremely dark issues, and handles these with maturely and sensitively whilst at the same time using them for the maximum dramatic potential that they offer. It's one of the finest examples of collaborative filmmaking in history, and it's also probably the best film about sex that's ever been made.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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