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Plot

A group of bohemian intellectuals struggle to have an intelligent discussion of perhaps the world's most emotional subject in this comedy-drama from director Alan Rudolph. Edgar (Dermot Mulroney) is an artist living in Paris during the 1920s who believes that sex is a subject of vital importance, but almost no one discusses it with the gravity it deserves. With this in mind, Edgar gathers together a panel of fellow creative types at the home of a wealthy tycoon (Nick Nolte) and his oddly accented spouse (Tuesday Weld) for an evening in which they will discuss their erotic lives without self-serving wit or exaggeration. Joining Edgar for this experiment is an artist from Germany (Til Schweiger), an arrogant film director (Jeremy Davies), a self-obsessed painter (Alan Cumming) whose fey personality may cross the boundaries of Edgar's prohibition of homosexuality as a topic of conversation, and a student from England (Terrence Dashon Howard) who has attracted the eye of a lovely French girl (Julie Delpy) with whom Edgar has fallen in love. Certain that a number of profound thoughts will be shared with the group, Edgar hires a pair of stenographers to record the proceedings, but the presence of the two young and beautiful secretaries -- innocent Alice (Neve Campbell) and provocative Zoe (Robin Tunney) -- has an unexpectedly strong effect on the group. Investigating Sex had its U.S. premiere as the closing night attraction of the 2001 Seattle Film Festival.
MPAA Rating:
PG-13 for strong sexual content including dialgue, and nudity.
Genre(s):
Comedy,Drama
Run Time:
107min.
Theatrical Release Date:
02/08/2002
DVD Release Date:
12/23/2007
Distributor(s):
Buena Vista
Director(s):
Themes:
Bohemian Life,Love Triangles,Faltering Friendships,Tortured Genius
Tone:
Atmospheric,Claustrophobic,Deadpan,Elegiac,Humorous,Intimate,Matter-of-Fact,Quirky,Reflective,Sexual,Talky,Understated,Witty
Keywords:
artist,bohemian,conversation,director,secretary,sex,student