sex, lies, and videotape

Writer-director Steven Soderbergh's debut effort was the smash hit of last year's independent film releases, picking up top honors at the Cannes Film Festival. The story revolves around the intertwinings, psychological and otherwise, of four contemporary characters. John (Peter Gallagher) is sleeping with his wife (Andi MacDowell) on occasion, but more often with her sister (Laura San Giacomo). Into this already volatile family relationship walks John's friend Graham (a brilliant performance by the gifted James Spader). In an early scene, Spader and MacDowell trade personal confidences. His is the more revelatory: he's impotent. Graham's love life consists of interviewing and videotaping women and then watching the videotapes. Soderbergh puts his foursome through some hellish confrontations, tackling the subjects of machismo and nymphomania with equal fervor. If the subject matter seems sensational, the drama sticks to the psychological realities of the characters. As Graham, in particular, struggles with the sexual dysfunction that results from a broken relationship, the audience glimpses a persona that is certainly not the stock in trade of mainstream Hollywood films. An adult film in the best sense, this is highly recommended. (R. Pitman) [Blu-ray Review—Nov. 24, 2009—Sony, 100 min., R, $24.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1988's sex, lies, and videotape sports a nice transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by writer-director Steven Soderbergh and filmmaker Neil LaBute, an interview with Soderbergh (14 min.), a '20 Year Reunion at the Sundance Film Festival' featurette with Soderbergh and costars Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, and Laura San Giacomo (4 min.), a deleted scene with optional commentary (4 min.), trailers, and the 'movieIQ' feature that allows viewers to access real-time information on the cast, music, trivia, and more through the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut of an indie classic.] [Blu-ray/DVD Review—July 24, 2018—Criterion, 100 min., R, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray, 1989’s sex, lies, and videotape features an excellent transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio on the Blu-ray release. Extras include a 1998 audio commentary by director Steven Soderbergh and filmmaker Neil LaBute, a 'making-of' featurette (29 min.), archival and new interviews with Soderbergh (31 min.), an interview with sound editor/re-recording mixer Larry Blake and composer Cliff Martinez (20 min.), a 1989 interview with costar James Spader from NBC’s Today show (6 min.), a 'Generators, Noise Reduction, and Multitrack Audiotape' featurette on sound restorations (12 min.), a deleted scene (4 min.), and a booklet featuring an essay by critic Amy Taubin and excerpts from Soderbergh’s 1990 book about the film. Bottom line: an excellent edition of Soderbergh’s acclaimed indie debut.]