Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972)

	Directed by: Woody Allen	COUNTRY USA GENRE Comedy/Satire NORWEGIAN TITLE Alt du vil vite om sex (men ikke våger spørre om) RUNNING TIME 87 minutes
	Produced by: Charles Joffe
	Written by (based on the book by David Reuben): Woody Allen

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Victor / Fabrizio / The Fool / Sperm	Woody Allen
Doctor Bernardo	John Carradine	½
Sam	Lou Jacobi
Gina	Louise Lasser	½
The King	Anthony Quayle	½
The Operator	Tony Randall
The Queen	Lynn Redgrave	½
Switchboard	Burt Reynolds
Doctor Ross	Gene Wilder	½
Himself	Jack Barry
Himself	Regis Philbin

Review

Woody Allen's Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex, his fourth feature film, is a disjointed, erratic provocateur, varying greatly in both quality, relevance and durability. Seeing as the film's main objective is to draw attention to taboos and mock what Allen argues is society's contemporary sexual oppression, whatever relevance it retains today is mainly as a document of Allen's development as a filmmaker – plus a few genuine laughs and fragments of great writing. As a whole, the movie will have limited meaning or value for modern audiences. The fetishes discussed, and the ostensible controversy created by them, seem forced and stilted today (particularly the segments "What is Sodomy?" and "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm?"). However, when Allen's writing occasionally reveals bits of classic comedy and/or satire, the effect is intrinsic and timeless. The opening segment is particularly funny, with Allen perfectly cast as a sexually frustrated court jester. And the final vignette, illustrating how the male body works, from a sci-fi/military perspective, is a real treat.

Copyright © 30.10.2010 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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