Love & Sex MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +1 1/2 Content: -3 1/2

Romantic comedies seem to be consistently popular, but this next installment from Hollywood leaves much to be desired. Magazine columnist Kate Welles (Famke Janssen) is assigned to write an article giving tips for a successful relationship. But Kate has never had what she would call a successful relationship. So as she brainstorms about what to write, the audience goes on a journey through many of her previous relationships, all of which ended in breakup. Most prominent and serious of these is Adam (John Favreau), an artist that Kate actually ends up living with for over a year. But alas, all of Kates relationships fail and given enough time, this one is no different. Watching Kate struggle to find anything in her past that contributes to a successful relationship is painful at best. Along with the depressing search for lasting relationships, the immaturity exhibited by all of the thirty-something characters is more likely to scare off audiences than bring them in.

While it painfully explores relationship failures, it only gives clues about what does work. Kate and Adam both express a fear of being alone. They seem to be incomplete unless in some kind of dating relationship, which probably contributes to their multiple failures. Although related, love and sex are not interchangeable. Much of the film deals with the sexual aspect of relationships even though none of the principal characters are married. Once again, Hollywood takes a casual attitude toward premarital sex without consequences, showing a few sex scenes, two of which are graphic. A high school teacher couples with a student in one explicit scene while another scene shows an unmarried pair in a bathroom stall, revealing side breast nudity in the process. Sexual dialogue is also frequent, with references to male genitals, propositions for sex, and a scene in a store that sells sex related paraphernalia. Focusing on fornication, plus an abundance of vulgar language, makes LOVE & SEX an unlovable movie.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: Lions Gate Films, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 501, LA, CA 90036