The Sex Monster (1999) User Reviews (44)

Funny but NOT Erotic

[excellentprovider · 6/10 · 15 September 2005]

Sex Monster 1999

A movie with some very funny moments. There were a few scenes that caused me to laugh hysterically and that is unusual for me. Although Mariel Hemmingway has never been a favorite of mine, she definitely brings strong acting talent to this movie. Her wardrobe is interesting yet appropriate for the scenes in the movie. Mike Binder does a great job of carrying the movie with a combination of almost dramatic acting skills but definite ability as a straight man and the occasional goof ball. Missy Crider is always a good actress, in this movie I don't think she was given a strong enough role and the role she had did not give her adequate room to demonstrate her true skills or to allow her usual sensual self to come through. I believe the movie would have been much better had Mariel and Missy had each other's roles. But obviously the director thought otherwise. Directors always have the right to be wrong I guess. Warning; do not let the title or the movie synopsis fool you. There is almost nothing erotic about this movie. It is funny, but not erotic. The jacket suggests a lot of lesbian activity. Most of that activity is not seen however but alluded to or happens with the camera elsewhere. On the eroticism scale this movie is a 2 out of 10. There is also very little nudity. For the most part (with the exception of what I noted above) the movie was well cast. The plot is plausible but the sequence of events is not, hence we have a clever comedy. I recommend this movie for a good laugh only. It is not a movie to watch for the whole family due to the adult theme of lesbianism and sexual threesomes. As a non-erotic comedy I would rate this 6 out of 10.

Maybe a little more?

[doyce4sub · 6/10 · 13 May 2004]

This movie is moderately funny and humorous in spots.I would have liked to have "seen" a little more. It would have been nice to have seen Mariel Hemingway or Renee Humphrey or Missy Crider or any of the other actresses actually naked!!! I'm not talking about hard core or explicit scenes but just a little bit of what's supposedly going on on the bed between the women or even one of them walking around topless would have been okay. The sex wasn't there. The plot was however and the "monster" that was created by the husband's urgings became slightly funny. Not a great film but one that was amusing in some respects. Maybe worth watching keeping in mine that it's there for the implications and the laughs.

Mariel Hemingway needs better movies!

[larrysmile1 · 6/10 · 25 September 2001]

Mariel Hemingway is a really cutie. She is now 40 years old and has made about 38 movies. However, aside from this zany "Sex Monster" I only remember seeing her act in the 1987 Superman IV - when she was 26 years old.

This fracical comedy is without any visual sex scenes which makes it a disappointment to it's name. (Open kissing and overdubbed moaning does not a sex scene make.)

Mike Binder wrote, directed, and starred in this film. I would guess that it's a family affair with Jack Binder producing. Maybe Mariel is associated with the project. But, she really needs a more in depth script in which to act. She has been in the movie industry too long for such light comedy fluff.

Ms. Hemingway still has a pretty face that the camera can spend more than five seconds a "take" showing and a great physical presence. She should be offered roles more powerful.

One-Joke wonder hints at HBO Series to come

[FionualaO · 1/10 · 15 July 2004]

Mike Binder is a decent enough actor, but when it comes to writing and producing his own material, he seems to only be able to fixate on one, really weak Sex-farce situation.

This absurdly amateur production is shallow and offensive at times but it has its fans. And, believe it or not, there is a silver lining: apparently Binder got enough chops from this experience to pull together a more adult set of issues for use in his HBO Series THE MIND OF A MARRIED MAN. A series which borrows liberally from this first outing for its topics and somewhat silly presumptions about female sexuality and men's abilities or inabilities to stay "constrained" by marriage.

The Series, which was ill-timed, sadly couldn't hold its own against more strongly established series. It had its comic moments and if it took making this film to bring out the creator in him, well, hats off to Binder. Let's see him take a stab at the subject again some time.

The reasons why this film is most likely a Cult "hit" is because Binder put together a surprisingly diverse cast who seem to happily goof their way through this less than professional outing. Hey, if they had fun and its fans like it and it led to a half-way engaging TV series, well, I won't complain. I won't watch it again, but.. I won't complain.

If anything, the film is notable as the genesis of the series THE MIND OF A MARRIED MAN.

Mike Binder is no Woody Allen..

[hrlaser · 8 February 2002]

If Binder sold HBO on his pathetic "Mind of the Married Man" series based on having written and directed and starred in this film, it wouldn't surprise me, as both had a lot of the same elements and ideas, and both were equally lame.

Binder is no Woody Allen. For that matter, he's no Albert Brooks either. He's not even a Gene Wilder, about the most unlikely actor for a sex farce I can imagine, but then maybe women see some kind of appeal to that sad puppy personna..

But someone must think Binder is funny, else they wouldn't be throwing money at him as HBO did..

Sex Monster (don't let the title deceive you.. this isn't a movie about Godzilla humping Tokyo).. can be taken as a prequel to Mind of the Married Man with one exception.. instead of fantasizing and visualizing in his mind, other women in bed with his wife, this film explores the possibilities in a very tame way. If you're looking for Mariel Hemingway nude, forget it. In fact for a sex romp, this film has alarmingly little nudity at all. Lots of tease shots, and women moaning and groaning behind a closed bedroom door, one almost topless shot in a swimming pool, that's about it.

Mariel Hemingway, still gorgeous after all these years, and quite a screen presence, plays Binder's straight and faithful wife to whom he pitches the idea of a second woman in bed with them.. most every guy's unfulfilled fantasy.. at first put off by the concept, she aims to please him, she warms to it, then dives face first, as it were, into it, to the point that he got what he wished for and now he wants to un-wish it..

The way this film was shot and edited reminds me of an even tamer version of the way "adult" hardcore videos are presented on tape, versus how they end up on channels like "Spice" where you see the tops of a lot of heads bobbing up and down..

I kept waiting and waiting for the big payoff.. but this is a sex film with no "money shot", both literally and figuratively.

It's a one line joke that somehow got stretched to an hour an a half, and it moves at such a glacial pace that I actually fell asleep the first time I tried to watch it.

Mariel Hemingway is still beautiful, still talented, and she deserves to be pitched much better scripts than this one, and someone needs to tell Binder that his fantasies are simply just not rip-roaringly hilarious..

i wonder if a worse film has ever been made...

[Leopard Gang · 1/10 · 22 June 2002]

Wow. Just when you think movies can't get any worse, you see Sex Monster (or, as it should be called, "I Became A Bisexual Sex Freak In Order To Obey My Husband"). It's basically about this guy, Marty (Binder), who really wants to sleep with two women at a time, and his wife, Laura (Hemingway), who is perfectly OK with his objectification. So she invites over a friend (Humphrey) they know is bisexual (because of course anyone who's bi will sleep with anyone-and the more at a time, the better), and BAM, they all get it on. But uh-oh, trouble in paradise: Laura realises she likes it!

Now she's addicted to crazy sex. Blah blah blah.

Not only is this film horribly offensive in every way possible, it's just plain old bad filmmaking. There are some directors I loathe (take, for example, Kevin Smith), but at least I can see that they are talented-it's just, to quote good ol' Mr. Ebert, they use their talent in an unworthy way. Not so here. Mike Binder has proved himself to be utterly inept in the directing business. I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate this movie. After we watched it, we ejected the video and passed it around so we could all punch it. And we did.

One more thing. Just to prove to you how profoundly evil this movie is, let me quote a little bit of the synopsis from the official website: "She changes and loves it. Marty, after first enjoying his new ‘dream come true' freedom, comes to realize that his wife spends more time with the girls, has reached a new level of strength, freedom and happiness, and he's the odd man out in his own bed. Finally Laura comes to realize that she actually wants only her husband and they work to rebuild their marriage." Let's analyse this. She changes, and loves it. So far so good. She reaches a new level of strength, freedom, and happiness. Still good. But wait-she's just Marty's wife-a woman. And if Marty isn't happy, well then something's wrong-after all, he's the man. Men are more important. So, Laura realises that she only wants her husband, and they all live happily ever after. Good lord.

Not much sex

[mxb2001 · 1/10 · 20 April 2003]

For a movie titled so provocatively it sure had very little sex or nudity in it. The plot is your typical 90's lame pop culture brain rot. The writer/director is an ignorant and dishonest sell-out. I gave this nugget of nastiness a 1. I suppose one can mention a single good thing about this waste of time: Mariel Hemingway did it during a spell in which she was minus her usual breast implants. Her lack of talent was routine however.

A wacky and entertaining sex farce

[FlickJunkie-2 · 7/10 · 22 April 2000]

This low budget sex farce surprised me and turned out to be a madcap and funny comedy. Laura (Mariel Hemingway) and Marty (Mike Binder) are a regular couple with an ordinary sex life. But Marty is obsessed with a fantasy where he and Laura have a threesome with another woman. He goads her semi-seriously and when she finally shows some interest, he convinces her to invite over a girl from work who has been coming on to her.

But Marty soon learns that you have to be careful what you wish for. After an initial reluctance, Laura gets into it and finds she likes it. We're talking SERIOUS liking here. Marty is initially ecstatic that his fantasy has been fulfilled, but now that he has opened Pandora's Box (so to speak), he is not prepared for the Sex Monster that emerges. Laura becomes a sex crazed Lesbian nymphomaniac and proceeds to seduce all their female friends. This leads to numerous awkward situations, some zany, some silly and some just downright hilarious.

This film is just rollicking good fun. The sex is mostly implied, so if you were hoping to see Mariel Hemingway or anyone else naked, you are pretty much out of luck. There is a lot of moaning and bed shaking but nothing really provocative other than a couple of girl kissing scenes. But explicit sex isn't what this movie is about. It's about the comedy, and the comedy works, so it is just as well.

This is really the Mike Binder show. He wrote, directed and starred in the film. He didn't really excel in any of these roles, but somehow the whole exceeded the sum of the parts. He gave a generally droll performance which was occasionally terrible but more often comical. He was at his best when he was being tormented by Laura's obsession as he tried desperately to get the sex genie back in the bottle.

Mariel Hemingway was terrific in this film and made it truly funny. This is her second role with a bisexual theme having appeared in the heavy handed 'Personal Best' where she was an athlete who alternated between sleeping with her male coach and a female teammate. Her performance in this part was far better and she turns out to be a much better comedian than dramatic actress. She has a great ability to make humorous use of her 6 foot frame and made the most of the many sight gags in the script.

I rated this movie a 7/10. It doesn't redefine the genre, but it is a wacky sex farce that has more than its share of funny moments. If you are offended by profanity, sexual situations and lesbianism, you definitely want to skip it. But if you like a light hearted and offbeat roll in the hay flick, you'll probably enjoy it.

worth watching

[maverick-69 · 5/10 · 8 November 1999]

decent film and humorous. Mariel Hemingway plays the role perfectly. a funny film and enjoyable as she tries to deal with her feelings.the situations she gets into is funny and the way she gets out is also funny.when i heard the plot i didn't think Mariel Hemingway could do such a role. i was wrong.

Funny....

[goodmans101 · 6/10 · 3 October 2001]

This was a funny spin off an old story line. Hemmingway looked great in this movie, along with the young girl who played "Diva" (fell in love with her!). Nice "different" movie if you are in the mood for something other than the same old thing on the movie channels or TV.

A guy's story of lesbianism.

[memfree · 5/10 · 20 July 2000]

Concept: Husband wants wife to sleep with another woman (in a 3 way), but doesn't know what to do when she starts liking the idea. This movie has a strong 'be careful what you wish for' tone and moral. The husband is the main character, and the camera follows him everywhere. Even the sex scenes occur off screen; as the viewer is lead into the kitchen after the the all-important man.

Since this is a comedy, it can be forgiven for being completely out of touch with the feminine side. The film has every right to make fun of the male predicament. Maybe someone else wants to watch this, but I'd be immensely more interested in a story that had the same sort of wit, but showed how a female misunderstood the other sex, and had the camera following *her* around.

Witty satire of gender roles and sexuality

[kaethe · 8/10 · 14 September 2000]

When you're not expecting much, it doesn't take a masterpiece to impress you. I watched The Sex Monster knowing that it had a bisexual-relevant theme, but uncertain of whether it would be a positive or negative portrayal of bisexuality and sexual experimentation in general. I was not disappointed.

Mike Binder somehow managed to take all of the tired stereotypes about gender and sexuality, weave them into exaggerated characters, put the characters in awkward situations, and make it all uproariously hilarious. Some viewers, no doubt, will interpret the caricatured portrayals as perpetuating outmoded stereotypes and perhaps even contributing to those stereotypes. But Binder's wit is both subtle and blatant: the dialogue makes use of every cliche imaginable, yet is still fresh and funny.

If you're cheek is prepared to accommodate your tongue, definitely see this movie (rent it! and then buy it to show all your friends). Be warned, though, that what you assume about people may be forever changed.

Hysterical!

[Merely · 6/10 · 14 December 2000]

Was in bed channel surfing at 2 A.M. and came across this really funny movie. Always liked Mariel Hemmingway, and Mike Binder reminded me of Brian Benben ("Dream On"). Very cleverly written and great supporting cast makes it enjoyable. Was laughing SO hard at times, woke up spouse. We both watched together then!

Pretty damn dumb.

[Klinky2000 · 3/10 · 7 February 2005]

This movie bored me from the overly long intro. None of the women in the video are exceptionally attractive and Mariel Hemmingways height and nose bother me quite a bit, though in some scenes she does look rather foxy.

Of course this isn't porno(sure, sure, just tell yourself that) or even porno lite. It's suppose to be a sex comedy that just utterly falls flat. Mike Binder really can't act/write or produce this movie into anything worthwhile or entertaining. He even has a character making a joke about Brunch. It seems Mike is trying to be a cross between Jerry Seinfield & Woody Allen, but he doesn't even have 1/100th the talent of those two aforementioned peoples.

The only reason I give it a three is because of some semi-hot woman on woman scenes that you could probably see on TV nowadays.

Be careful what you wish for, you may get exactly that

[Craig JS · 1 October 2001]

Do not be misled by the title into thinking this is the latest in a long and star-studded line of the Playboy movie of week fare. This is actually an amusing if someone self-fulfilling and happy meal packaged film. Its focus is on a Husband (Mike Binder) and his subservient and submissive wife (Mariel Hemmingway) who is finally convinced her to give in to her natural female instincts and allow another woman into the marital bed. What starts off down the trail of many a male's fantasy quickly goes astray when it is apparent that he is no longer needed in the bedroom.

Mikes downward spiral is amusing as he goes from shear disbelief that he is living the playboy ideal to pleading with his wife to refrain from sleeping with his baby sister. The movie was written and directed by Mike Binder who acquits him self nicely as he takes on the role of protagonist and victim during the some 94 minutes running time. Though never fully rising above the straight to video look, the film does not bore or detract from the comedy of a now fully functioning sex monster wife, who is out to sleep with just about every woman she comes across. Mariel Hemmingway is rather amusing and begs the question, where in her career did she go wrong? She is both pretty and entertaining, qualities it would seem, should have destined her for Julia Roberts heights. Alack alas the movie gods are cruel by nature it would seem. Stephen Baldwin makes a fleeting appearance as a business partner whose wife appears to have been locked in a tower for most of her adult life.

Those looking to find something to pass time, have a laugh and have the message "be careful for what you wish, you may just get it" beaten into you, can rest assured you will find what you are looking for here. However for those of you, who may have seen the title and thought that it would be an excellent way to get your rocks of, I suggest you go find one of those Playboy movies of week I discussed earlier.

I was expecting a little more

[Decath · 3/10 · 15 November 1999]

With a title like Sex Monster I was expecting a little more than what was shown. There were many suggestions and noises of sex happening, but no visuals.

Irritating.

Blowfest

[Donnaxoxo2003 · 1/10 · 31 October 2006]

This movie blew. Aside from starring the worst actors in the history of movie making, the "plot" was mind numbingly blasé, the dialogue painfully cringe inducing, and Mariel Hemingway's performance bad enough to make her poor grandfather vomit on himself in his grave. This movie was so bad, yet I could not stop watching it; much like a train wreck in which bodies are flying in all directions. I'm so glad that Mariel Hemingway has chosen yet another steaming piece of pony loaf to showcase her criminal lack of talent. The fact that a reputable production company actually financed and tagged this ridiculous wannabe edgy yet flaccid "statement" about bisexuality made me want to stick a fork into my retina and twist it around repeatedly. In fact, I wish I had done that instead of wasting my time with this ridiculous movie.

For Mariel Hemingway Fans Only

[hokeybutt · 4/10 · 1 August 2005]

SEX MONSTER (2 outta 5 stars) No, this is not a porno... except for some four letters words and some swimming pool nudity this is as benign as a typical TV sitcom. Actually, the movie is basically an episode of Bewitched... except instead of the husband being upset about his wife's use of witchcraft he becomes upset at the emergence of her latent lesbianism. Mariel Hemingway actually gives a very good, amusing performance as the prim and proper wife who turns into the insatiable "sex monster" after she gives in to her husband's suggestion of a menage a trois. Unfortunately, writer/director/star Mike Binder's character is a poor cross between Woody Allen and Paul Reiser and doesn't do much to help this film rise about it's poor script. Actually it's not too much of a stretch to imagine Reiser and Helen Hunt playing these roles... it would have made an eye-popping "Mad About You" series finale! Events are about as predictable as you can imagine... husband talks wife into a threesome... wife winds up enjoying it more than the guy... guy starts to feel jealous and inadequate. Hemingway's performance is the only thing that keeps the movie from being a completely tiresome bore... not that I am recommending it... it's just to bad that her still-prodigious screen talent isn't being utilized more.

Imagine if 9 1/2 weeks was a comedy

[a-leubecker · 7/10 · 19 August 2013]

I have watched many movies that fall under the category of "Better than it has any right to be." And this movie is of them. When you look at the title and the box cover you immediately think this is going to be both raunchy and stupid. Surprisingly it's neither. That's not to say it's OK for the kids, it's not. However, it's surprisingly intelligent considering it's premise.

Threesomes (two girls and a guy) are every man's fantasy. This video shows what happens when a man convinces his wife to try it with a friend from work. The results are both hilarious and thought provoking. It shows what can wrong with such relationships and the strain it can put on a marriage when boundaries are pressed. Conversely it also shows how other participants are made to feel the relationship goes south. Furthermore another perspective is brought on board when the wife get's a reputation with the locals who decide they are a little to familiar with the couple.

Interestingly enough the wife isn't treated as the bad guy. She's caught up in the novelty of a new activity, and is like a child getting a new toy every few days. Meanwhile the husband is shown to be very insecure for feeling cuckolded. And as warped romantic comedies go, the wrap up isn't so clean or happy go lucky. I won't spoil it. But it's a happy ending for some but a lot of relationships are destroyed along the way.

In the end it's a surprisingly insightful romp teaching us the ever important adage; be careful what you wish for. In the end, Check it out, It's worth seeing at least once.

not funny and actually a little off-putting

[SnoopyStyle · 3/10 · 10 February 2017]

L.A. construction contractor Marty Barnes (Mike Binder) has a safe suburban marriage to hairdresser Laura (Mariel Hemingway). With his friends' encouragement, he convinces her to go on threesomes with other women. The problem is that they seem to like her more and her inner sex monster is awakened.

Mike Binder assumes a tough proctological exam is automatically funny. He assumes that he can make the threesomes funny. He assumes the irreverent men talk is funny. Instead, they come off as weasels. Marty is slimy and pathetically small. It's a broad comedy without any actual laughs. The sexual politics come off as clunky. This might work better comically if it's her idea from the start. The sister vacation could have been hilarious. Anyways, Hemingway is not that funny of a comedic actress. She almost works as a straight man. This is not funny, sexy, nor even that likable.

Below average

[itamarscomix · 4/10 · 7 March 2013]

The Sex Monster has enough halfway funny moments to make it watchable, and it takes itself so lightly that it's hard to take any real offense at how moronic its humor is, how predictable it is or how very utterly it fails at understanding human (especially female) behavior and portraying human relationship with any manner of realism. It's silly and farcical enough that it can get away with all that, but the fact is it just doesn't work. It's not funny enough; it's not perceptive enough to stand as a relationship comedy, it's unwatchable for women, and as for the horny men who might expect to enjoy it, they will be disappointed by the complete lack of nudity or sex scenes or, even, any feeling of sensuality - there is absolutely no sexual tension to be found. Mariel Hemingway (to me, forever Manhattan's charming young Tracy) does well with whatever material she gets, as sweet and charismatic as ever, but she can't help the script make her character feel like a real person, and she can't make the lesbian scenes work; on the other hand, writer/director Mike Binder cast himself as the entirely unlikable protagonist, through whose eyes we see the entire film, and he's so whiny and self-absorbed that he's absolutely impossible to relate to, nor does he go through any sort of development throughout the film. Binder would have better luck as director in the following decade, but The Sex Monster is completely skippable.

VERY FUNNY SEX FARCE

[bazdol · 8/10 · 4 January 2000]

I highly recommend this genuinely funny sex farce involving the

mishaps that occur when a man talks his wife into having lesbian

relationships. Hemingway, Binder, and Cryder do excellent acting

jobs with long scenes with no cuts.

Hemingway, in my mind, grows more delectable with age.

Too bad it's not on VHS or DVD. I taped it from Cinem

A total fiasco.

[Go_Blue_99 · 3/10 · 4 May 2000]

This movie was a big, bumbling mess. There were a few humorous lines, but the viewer expects more laughs from a sex farce. I don't even think the flimsy plot was worth an entire 97 minutes; it seemed like it would have felt more at home as an hour-long comedy on Cinemax. Mariel Hemmingway was severely miscast as the bisexual wife, because she walked through the role like she didn't know what she was doing there. However, the lead actor Mike Binder (also the writer and director) put in a spirited performance. He reminded me of a cross between Matt Lauer and Woody Allen, and I'd like to see what he could do in future roles. The only other funny character in the movie was a radio voice- a lesbian obsessed DJ who was imitating Howard Stern. And for those who are intrigued by the movie's title: there was very little sex or nudity on-screen.

The DVD is in pan-and-scan format, and the only extra is the trailer.

Unfunny, low, and tawdry with detestable leading man but wonderful Hemingway

[trpdean · 1 March 2002]

Watching Mike Binder in this movie is truly difficult. He has no funny inflections of voice or gestures. The movie itself is a cheap by the numbers gimmick, without freshness or imagination.

It's also remarkably chauvinist - e.g., men automatically get girlfriends when their wives get fat (and of course that wife must be shown gorging on food every chance she gets - don't worry her husband will take her back when she goes on a diet), the "good" woman not only cleans up the coffee her husband spills, but rushes to bring his breakfast, etc.

In its attempt to offend everyone, there are even completely gratuitous and repeated shots at Republicans ("this is a no-Republican zone. Get out").

Binder's habit of repeating everything he says ("So I thought we'd go out, you know, go out" "so let's go upstairs, ok? Go upstairs?") is excruciating.

He is so ugly and without charm (from start to finish), so self-absorbed, so detestable, that it is impossible to imagine what Mariel Hemingway is doing married to this small-minded fellow (she's looks about 5 inches taller than this balding little whining fellow).

The movie is a showcase for Binder's ego, which is colossally greater than his talent. Someone like Albert Brooks might have done something with the premise - in part because he's likeable - Binder's not. From the first moment he appears on screen (angry that his coffee spilled), he's an ass.

It is very sad to see wonderful comic actors like Kevin Pollak, Taylor Nichols (from the Whit Stillman movies) and Holland Taylor in this - and in tiny roles - that's the business, I suppose.

More than any movie in which I've seen her, Mariel Hemingway shows what a wonderful actor she is. To light up the screen with SUCH flimsy material is remarkable. For example, the scene in which she attempts to "act natural" is a lesson in physical acting.

At 40, Hemingway's face and figure seem absolutely unchanged from twenty years ago. Her grace has increased with maturity, and she's a better actress than she was then - as also shown in The Contender - despite the lameness of this script and her opposite actor's inability to, well, act.

Someone below wrote, "Mariel Hemingway is still beautiful, still talented, and she deserves to be pitched much better scripts than this one, and someone needs to tell Binder that his fantasies are simply just not rip-roaringly hilarious". This is absolutely true.

So, if you'd like to see a wonderful actress and what she can do with nothing, watch this movie. Otherwise stay clear.

Absolute garbage!

[abrooke1 · 1/10 · 19 July 2000]

Unless you are totally into "lesbian sex sounds" (there are few visuals here) stay away from this horribly made piece of junk.

There's one or two funny lines, and that's it!

1 out of 10.