Young People F***ing. Out now. (******6/10)
“Equestrian…it’s like making guys run the 100-yard dash in the Olympics with a midget on their back, and then giving the gold medal to the midget.”
I wanted to watch Young People F***ing, mostly because of the controversy it caused about a year ago when some government staffers were offered free tickets to the screening of the film. The movie became something of a catalyst for a discussion in the public of bill C-10, which was a good thing. Because as was said at the time, the only thing truly “offensive” about this movie is the title. Were it called something else, like Sex And Young People or something like that, it would have caused absolutely no controversy. And no one would ever have watched it, and it would have disappeared into the world of Canadian indie movies that never get seen by anyone.
It’s a good thing it was called Young People F***ing, because this way people saw it. And it is worth seeing. While there is virtually nothing new here, the writing is quite good, there is some real humour. Then again, it is very easy to make sex funny. So, half points there. The basic idea is that several couples are going to have sex this particular night, and we see them all go through the “stages of sex”, which are…I don’t really remember. There’s foreplay, and then intercourse, and then orgasm, and then afterglow. There are two more in the movie, I think. But I can’t remember what they are. Judging by my recollection of the film, (which I watched a couple of hours ago), the other two stages might be Awkwardness and More Awkwardness. But it really doesn’t matter.
Each couple has a title too. There are “the exes”, who get together, after having broken up, for a one-more-night sort of thing. There is “the couple”, who have pretty much stopped having sex altogether, and awkwardly try to rekindle their sex life. “The First Date” sees a womanizing man going back to a girl’s apartment for what is clearly going to be a one-night stand. “The best friends” is a bit of a stretch - two best friends who decide to have sex with each other just to get their rocks off. That one is a stretch because it is so awkward. If a girl looks like Carly Pope, no matter how well a guy knows her, he will want to have sex with her. It seems.
But the biggest, and creepiest, stretch of all is “The Roommates”, where a boyfriend invites his incredibly well-hung roommate to have sex with his gorgeous girlfriend while he watches. I’ve had a lot of roommates, and a lot of people have come through my house who have been into a lot of very weird things. And yet, this particular scenario seems to me like one that could never plausibly happen. It doesn’t matter though, because the scene is quite funny, and involves Natalie Lisinska, who is the hottest girl in a movie crammed full of very hot women.
Also funny is the scene between the married couple, which involves a vibrating strap-on dildo, some very uncomfortable facial expressions, and some of the most awkward dialogue I’ve ever heard. That scene stars Josh Dean and the lovely Kristin Booth, and it is almost painful to watch. Until it gets ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as the end of the roommates scene, where the two naked guys hug each other and touch junk, but pretty ridiculous.
At first I was rather irritated with the movie, in that it didn’t show any boobs. I complained about a film that went to the trouble of calling itself Young People F***ing, and using all the filthy language that would guarantee it an R-rating, and making it all about sex, but then not showing any nudity. It was an annoyingly prudish double-standard thing to do. Thankfully, the boobs did come as the movie went along and the nudity, which had long seemed like an obvious thing to have in the movie, is pretty darn good.
The best couple are the “best friends”, and not just because Carly Pope is so ridiculously hot. They are the best because they seem to have genuine chemistry, and both Pope and Aaron Abrams are very funny. Pope’s character, Kristin, has a fantastic dry, sardonic sense of humour, and is hilarious as the aggressor in the sexual situation. Abrams is funny too, as the guy who’s just trying to hang on for dear life. They are funnier than any other couple, they have a very amusing discussion about the “sport” of equestrian, and…OK. Carly Pope is spectacular.
But in the end, that’s all this movie is. It’s just vignettes of Young People F***ing. And while some moments are quite funny, and others awkward and painful, and the film really is smart and observant, that’s all it is. I liked it, I laughed, and I recognized many of the moments in every one of the scenarios. But it’s now two hours later and I can’t remember the titles of the scenes. And a few days from now, this film will disappear from my brain. And twenty years from now, I will still remember the title Young People Fucking. But I will remember it because of the controversy, C-10, and the Conservative government. I’m not sure I will be able to remember whether or not I saw it. Good thing I have this website to check up on such things.
Young People F***ing is realistic, smart, thoughtful and fun. But it really isn’t very memorable.