KINSEY II – Liam Neeson
Like the controversial hero of another biopic, Dustin Hoffman’s Lenny Bruce in Lenny, Kinsey is ostracized because he dares tell the uncomfortable truth to a hypocritical society that wants none of it. But unlike Hoffman’s neurotic and abrasive stand-up comedian, Condon’s Kinsey is an eccentric but wholly likable fellow. And therein lies the film’s biggest flaw.
Since this is a (mostly) American movie, we can accept hunky Liam Neeson playing the role of the hound-faced Alfred Kinsey, a carbon copy of actor Tom Ewell (the quasi-errant husband in The Seven Year Itch). But it is difficult to accept a sex-obsessed hero who is hardly ever shown enjoying the pleasures of sex. Even if Kinsey was more interested in documenting sex than actually experiencing it (something that is not true according to his biographers), were those clinical experiments a form of erotic stimulation? That’s a taboo subject matter as far as Condon is concerned.
Thus, we have a film about sex that is terrified of sensuality. Juvenile and clinical discussions about sex are allowed, but real eroticism and the dreaded NC-17 rating are to be avoided at all costs. Most of the performances suffer as a result, since those people come across more like lab rats than real, sensual human beings. Neeson’s power, in particular, is diminished. Despite a realistic kissing scene with Clyde and a couple of sexual moments with his wife, Kinsey comes across as a bland, asexual observer. Neeson is a capable player (as long as he doesn’t have to cry), and he could have been considerably more forceful — if less "likable" — had the film actively dealt with Kinsey’s unconstrained sexual behavior (including his reported masochistic tendencies), his arrogance (e.g., Kinsey ignored warnings by some scientists that his methodology was flawed), and his obsession with — or ruthlessness in — getting case histories (including those of pedophiles).
Laura Linney’s Clara is more an appendix than an actual character. Like countless other devoted film wives, Clara is the one who brings the researchers refreshments, cries when her husband strays, and acts as pacifier during family squabbles. Given the limitations of this underwritten and — apart from the extra-marital sex — conventional role, Linney does surprisingly well.
A few of the other supporting players are also quite capable, including a handful of bit players ("I invented it," one hilarious elderly woman — referring to masturbation — confides to the researchers) and Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, who is effective in a small role as one of Kinsey’s assistants — and who, if there is any cinematic justice, will one day star as Dr. Kinsey in a truly fearless version of the researcher’s life.
But the acting highlight of the film is the appearance of Lynn Redgrave, nearly unrecognizable under a Doris Day wig, as the final on-screen subject of the Kinsey study. Redgrave’s talking head unleashes a firestorm of pathos that is noticeably absent from the rest of the film. In that single moment, Kinsey is miraculously transformed into a movie about flesh-and-blood human beings.
Had Condon managed to convey throughout his film half the amount of sheer humanness generated in the Redgrave scene, Kinsey would have been a masterpiece. As it is, this moderately daring biopic is an adequate look at the life of a controversial and still relevant figure whose revolutionary work, if performed in the United States, would be as misconstrued today as it was more than half a century ago. Much has changed, Redgrave’s thankful character tells Dr. Kinsey. Sadly, however, much still remains the same.
Academy Award Nomination
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Linney
Subscribe / Syndicate
Leave a Comment
Tags: Alfred Kinsey, Bill Condon, Film Reviews, Gay Interest, Kinsey, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Lynn Redgrave, Sex, Timothy Hutton
Comments
Leave a Reply
NOTE:
All comments are moderated and may take some time before they are posted. Different views and opinions are welcome, but courtesy is imperative. Rude/crass/bigoted comments and name-calling of any sort will be immediately deleted.
Also, please be aware that the Alternative Film Guide has no contact information for the talent mentioned in this blog and no information pertaining to or access to distributors'/producers' film prints.
