''Sexual Life'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by

Ken Kwapis Kenneth William Kwapis (born August 17, 1957) is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and author. He specialized in the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as '' Sesame Street Presen ...

, who would go on to chronicle modern romantic life in the better-known '' He's Just Not That Into You'' in 2009. Produced by Ken Aguado and distributed by Showtime Independent Films. Cast members include Azura Skye,

Carla Gallo Carla Paolina Gallo (born 1975) is an American actress. Gallo has had recurring roles in the television series '' Undeclared'', ''Carnivàle'', '' Bones'', '' Californication'', and a number of film roles. Since her role on ''Undeclared'', she ...

, Anne Heche,

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

Tom Everett Scott Thomas Everett Scott (born September 7, 1970) is an American actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film ''That Thing You Do!'', the protagonist in ''An American Werewolf in Paris'', and notable roles in ...

and

Kerry Washington Kerry Marisa Washington (born January 31, 1977) SidebarCertificate of Live Birth: Isabelle Amarachi Asomugha(County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health). Gives Kerry Washington birth dateArchivedfrom the original on May 2, 2016.Note: Fi ...

. It is adapted from

Arthur Schnitzler Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist. Biography Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...

's 1897 play ''

La Ronde La Ronde may refer to: Geography * La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France * La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica *La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada * A La Ronde, an ...

''.

Premise

Like ''La Ronde'', ''Sexual Life'' has an unconventional narrative structure, identified by Charles Ramírez Berg as the "daisy chain plot", in which there is not a single protagonist, but instead one central character links to another.

Cast

Eion Bailey Eion Francis Hamilton Bailey ( ; born June 8, 1976) is an American actor. He stars as Jim Matthews in the epix horror series '' From''. He played Pvt. David Kenyon Webster in the HBO miniseries '' Band of Brothers'' and appeared in the films ...

as David *

as Sarah *

as Terri *

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for whi ...

as Jerry *

James LeGros James Le Gros () (born April 27, 1962) is an American actor. He was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in '' Living in Oblivion''. Career James Le Gros appeared as Rick in Gus Van Sant's 1989 ...

as Josh *

as Todd * Azura Skye as Lorna *

as Rosalie * Anne Heche as Gwen *

Kevin Corrigan Kevin Corrigan (born ) is an American character actor. He has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s, including as Uncle Eddie on the sitcom ''Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005). His film appearances include support ...

as Phil *

Shirley Knight Shirley Knight Hopkins (July 5, 1936 – April 22, 2020) was an American actress who appeared in more than 50 feature films, television films, television series, and Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in her career, playing leading and charac ...

as Joanne *

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...

as David Wharton

Reception and awards

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' found its portrayal of the subject matter to be limited, writing, "this semi-comedy of manners and hormones suffers from being much too neat and tidy, aesthetically and dramatically sweeping aside a lot of the messiness that comes with sex." The film won the Copper Wing Award for best director at

Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films and their creators. Started in 2000, the annual celebration takes place in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The festival is a showcase for feature and short films from all over the wo ...

References

External links

* * * 2004 films 2004 comedy-drama films 2004 independent films American comedy-drama films American films based on plays American independent films Films scored by Cliff Eidelman Films directed by Ken Kwapis 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-comedy-drama-film-stub