Kinsey is a movie that most mature people should see (and I say people since I consider kids to be mature as adults). Even if you're not aware of most of Kinsey's accomplishments (like I, before seeing it I only heard of the Kinsey report in a sociology class), or don't think you have an interest in knowing about sex, the film is a must-see on the level of theatricality and acting. Bill Condon (of Gods and Monsters) has before him a cast of tremendous worth, elevating his leveled, smart script. The themes he brings to the screen, via Kinsey and his team, are all the more relevant today where sex is becoming more of a 'trouble' issue with parts of the media and government. That the subject matter is taken seriously, mostly within the context of scientific analysis, is all the more fascinating to one who's fresh to the man and his work. Or, if you do know a good deal about Kinsey, the film is still enlightening, and at the least entertaining, in the pile of bio-pics that have amassed over the past several years.
Liam Neeson is Oscar-nominatable to a T as Kinsey, who starts out as a kid with an interest in biology. He breaks off from his father (John Lithgow, in my favorite of the smaller performances of the bunch), and becomes a teacher. He meets and marries Laura Linney's character, and come across a particular problem sexually, which leads to Kinsey to start researching into the truthful, un-biased facts about people and sex. What this leads to is the kind of story that, even if it were not based in truth, would still make for a great film. Other cast such as Stellan Skarsgard, Chris O'Donnell, and especially Linney all contribute heavily to the believability of the work.
Aside from the very last scene which is only partially disappointing (though never-the-less un-conventional), Kinsey has many great scenes in it, some humorous, some tragic, and some indeed more disturbing than I dare mention. To put it another way, it's the kind of provocative peak in films about scientists that doesn't get reached much in Hollywood anymore. A+
Liam Neeson is Oscar-nominatable to a T as Kinsey, who starts out as a kid with an interest in biology. He breaks off from his father (John Lithgow, in my favorite of the smaller performances of the bunch), and becomes a teacher. He meets and marries Laura Linney's character, and come across a particular problem sexually, which leads to Kinsey to start researching into the truthful, un-biased facts about people and sex. What this leads to is the kind of story that, even if it were not based in truth, would still make for a great film. Other cast such as Stellan Skarsgard, Chris O'Donnell, and especially Linney all contribute heavily to the believability of the work.
Aside from the very last scene which is only partially disappointing (though never-the-less un-conventional), Kinsey has many great scenes in it, some humorous, some tragic, and some indeed more disturbing than I dare mention. To put it another way, it's the kind of provocative peak in films about scientists that doesn't get reached much in Hollywood anymore. A+