This review will be short and sweet because honestly there’s not a whole lot to say about Sex Tape.
A married couple wake up to discover that the sex tape they made the evening before has gone missing, leading to a frantic search for its whereabouts.
Yep. That’s about it. I went in with low expectations and it’s exactly what I got. The story is pretty simple. Jay (Jason Segel) and Annie (Cameron Diaz) met in college and had an intense physical relationship, but an accidental pregnancy, marriage and another kid later, they find their sex life is somewhat nonexistent. Annie is a mommy blogger whose blog is being courted by a Fisher Price type company and Jay is a music producer who is constantly gifting his iPads to family, friends and strangers. So, when Jay upgrades to a cloud based storage system and they film their sex tape on his iPad, it’s automatically sent to all of Jay’s used iPads. Yikes.
Sounds like a great foundation for a comedy right? Eh. When a film isn’t even rated half good (4.9/10 on IMDB), how do you expect audiences to be excited for it? Sure, there were some comical and awkward scenes, but it just felt tired. It was Jason Segel being Jason Segel. With the exception of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, his comedy has become redundant. And, he can’t seem to let go of that one character.
I’m a big fan of Cameron Diaz’s humor because she’s physical, expressive and isn’t afraid to make herself look ridiculous. But, not even she could save this film. Which is a shame because I really enjoyed her last film, The Other Woman. True, it didn’t receive great reviews either, but maybe because the humor of that film was on the weird and complex nature of female relationships.
Honestly the amount of nudity and the premise of the film just didn’t work for me. The nudity was completely gratuitous and at times very awkward. Segel and Diaz spent more time naked than actually acting. Plus, it wasn’t believable that an intelligent, tech savvy couple couldn’t figure out how to delete their file from the cloud. I guess it wouldn’t make for an interesting film, but the couple embarked on a race to individually delete the file. Their journey leads them to Annie’s possible future boss’s house. Frank (Rob Lowe) appears to be clean cut, but Jay and Annie find him home alone and letting loose. I swear Lowe doesn’t seem to age, but he’s plays the eccentric, aloof characters so well. The film is almost worth seeing just because of him. Almost.
I originally was going to give this three reels, but the more I’ve been thinking about it, it really only deserves a two. Sorry, I really dug into this one I know. But, I’m just being honest!
So what do you think of this movie? Am I alone on the Jason Segel thing?
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Nice review. Ashley I completely take your word for it. Honestly there isn’t a single thing that would encourage me to see this and you verified my suspicions. The trailers looked atrocious and embarrassing. Another hard-R comedy from Hollywood. It seems that’s about the only sense of humor they have these days.
I’m with ya Keith. Definitely NOT my cup of tea at all.
Sorry you had to endure this Ashley. I think I only liked Diaz in Something About Mary and My Best Friend’s Wedding. Generally I kind of avoid her movies. And yes, totally agree about Segel, he plays the same type of character in practically every role.
Well, at least I didn’t have to pay to see the film 🙂
Live and learn, right? I think I’ll pass on seeing any more Jason Segel movies until it’s been proven to be funny.
Ashley you’re dead on about Segel. What? Jason Segel naked again? No. I dearly loved him in Freaks and Geeks but yeah he basically does the same role Then again so did Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart. They just never got stale. The were able to light up the screen playing stylized versions of themselves. Paul Rudd is a comedy actor that plays the same role over and over but he never seems to get old for me. I’m sure we all have favorites like that. I guess it comes down to how much you like that character. Jonah Hill is an actor who you’d think play the same thing over and over but he’s come a long way scoring big roles alongside Brad and Leo. You go boy!
Diaz is hit or miss for me. She was great in The Mask and Something About Mary but miscast in Gangs of New York and The Box. Did anyone out there catch how Sofia Coppala savaged her in Lost In Translation with Anna Ferris’s not so subtle portrayal of her as a ditzy, blonde actress? Sophia was dating Spike Jonze while he was shooting Being John Malkovich. I guess Sophia didn’t care much for her. MEOW!
Anyway… Sex Tape sounded like a funny premise that was just done poorly. I’m all for R-rated comedies but just because you’re one of Apatow’s regulars doesn’t mean that you can leave the nest too far in Jasons case, although Franco and Rogan have fared better. Needless to say I’ll be passing on Sex Tape.
Don’t feel too bad about digging in to the film. No need to apologize. I have a feeling Ruth would have brought out the dreaded 1/2 reel for this. LOL.
Good point about Paul Rudd. I actually really like him and don’t seem to be bothered by his perpetual characters. Although, I think he definitely has more range than Jason Segel.
I agree; I don’t mind crude humor from time to time, but I prefer some intelligence behind it. Seriously, you won’t be missing anything if you pass on this flick.
Great review Ashley. Ain’t fussed about watching this now!
Thanks! Yes, definitely save your time and money.
This sounds terrible! I’ll definitely be avoiding it.
I promise you won’t be missing out!
I don’t think I can put myself through this but then I can’t stand Diaz.
Oh really? I actually don’t mind her when she sticks to comedy. But, obviously, she didn’t work for me in this film.
Nope. I wouldn’t pay for a ticket or watch it as a rental. Thanks for confirming my suspicions it’s crap. Well written review, Ashley
Thanks, Cindy. Yep, don’t waste your time or money.
Good review Ashley. Could have been both funny and somewhat interesting about what it had to say about married couples, but sadly, they were nowhere to be found.
I WAS pleasantly surprised Diaz and Segel were married. I didn’t realize this going into the film, but, yes, it was still a big disappointment as a whole. I was just talking to Ruth about this, but I think if they had followed a similar format to The Hangover, it would’ve been much more successful.
I heard that all Cameron and Jason really showed were their butts. What’s the point of making a movie about a sex tape if you’re not going to go all the way?
Yep, that’s about it. Also, they were using a sex book from the 70s called The Joys of Sex. Super weird. And awkward.
Welcome, Ashley:
I couldn’t come up with a reason to see ‘Sex Tape’. After reading your patiently laid out critique. Now I have even fewer.
I guess we all have vapid and neurotic neighbors to rub elbows (or not) every day of our lives. Do we really need to see it sloppily portrayed on the big screen?
Makes me look forward to ‘The Guardians of The Galaxy’.
Right on! We all have that crazy uncle who is either super slimy, uncouth and brazen. This film is that crazy uncomfortable uncle.
Me too!
Honesty is the best policy, Ashley. If you didn’t like it, don’t hold back!! 😉
I’ll probably see this on television in a year or two or three, but I’m not gonna rush out for it. Even the trailer made these two look silly – as if you would film yourself on an iPad… that’s just idiotic.
Haha! Yeah, the whole technology aspect was really unbelievable. Just no…stop! 🙂
Phew, i panicked cos i thought you were going to review our sex tape, i thought we agreed never to speak of it. Yes, my performance was poor but i’m usually amazing. Honest.
Seriously though, this sounds awful. I can pretty much guarantee i’ll never watch it. Great review!
They should just rename it Fight Club. Rule #1, don’t ever talk about it or see Sex Tape, lol!
I’m a big fan of Jason Segel in How I Met Your Mother; I Love You, Man; and The Muppets. But aside from those three, I can’t say that I’m surprised. I’m actually kinda taken aback as to why he likes to take his clothes off so much – it’s weird.
I did read a critic’s review that said Sex Tape was reminiscent of Bad Teacher in that it just wasn’t good, and that Segel and Diaz had no chemistry. I personally hated Bad Teacher, which just gave me no desire to see Sex Tape at all.
I’ve never gotten into HIMYM because I’m a huge FRIENDS fan and I prefer those characters and story-lines better. I don’t understand why he always takes his clothes off, either. Maybe he feels it separates him from the other comedians, and people always remember him for it.
That’s really interesting about Bad Teacher. I forgot he was in it. You’re right it wasn’t great, but Justin Timberlake was actually pretty hilarious.
Ahh, I like Friends too, but I watched HIMYM first, so I’m biased 😉
But yeah, the both of them were in Bad Teacher, and I was just so bored throughout that movie. Yeah, I like JT when he does comedy . . . especially over him doing drama, haha.
Haha, it was exactly the opposite for me with Friends.
I can’t remember the first comedy I saw him in, but I was really impressed. I don’t think he minds making himself look ridiculous 🙂 Especially with all the SNL music videos and bits on JF.
“I’m a big fan of Cameron Diaz’s humor because she’s physical, expressive and isn’t afraid to make herself look ridiculous” — that’s what I like about her too. And I did like Jason Segel in I Love You Man. It’s a shame this movie didn’t work better. I may give it a try sometime when I’m in the mood for something mindless. 🙂
One of those movies I’ll try not to ever watch…doesn’t seem appealing at all. Plus I’m not looking forward to seeing Diaz naked…don’t find her attractive.
Great review of what looks like a terrible film! Your feelings towards Jason Segel mirror mine about Seth Rogen – I know how it feels to not like someone popular! I will be giving this a wide berth!
Good review Ashley. I have to say, by the way, you were not as negative as you think you were. You just politely vocalized reasons you don’t like the movie. 🙂