Movie Review: Sex Tape (2014)

The movie stars Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe and Jack Black.

I recorded this film off of one of our movie channels a couple weeks ago but didn’t watch it right away, in part, because I wasn’t sure if it was really going to be anywhere near as good as advertised. However, we did finally get around to watching the movie last night and it was, admittedly, much funnier than I expected it to be.

I think the thing that really worked for me when watching this movie was the way the two characters, Annie (Diaz) and Jay (Segel) were so easy for my wife and me to relate to. Between work and our various parental obligations (including figure skating lessons twice a week), my wife and I consider it a marital victory if we can even stay awake past 9 on Friday night. So, seeing this fictional couple going through pretty much the same thing (only a little more extreme) and Annie trying to “save” her marriage as a result was believable.

That being said, I think the thing that made this movie memorable was the supporting cast. The act of them trying to recover gifted iPads in an effort to hide the recently-sent video was funny. Their friends, Robbie and Tess (Corddry and Kemper) trying to help them while, at the same time, trying to sneak a peek at the video, made the film even funnier. And, that isn’t even taking Rob Lowe’s fantastic performance as Annie’s prospective boss into consideration (he, alone, is a reason to watch this film).

Another thing I liked about this movie is it wasn’t as predictable as I thought it was going to be. The main premise of the movie seemed like something that would be very paint-by-numbers when it came to the overall plot. Instead, there were quite a few unexpected twists that made it difficult to guess what would happen next and, because of that, the movie kept my attention.

I don’t think it is quite as good as “Date Night” or some other romantic comedies I’ve watched. But, it was a very funny and entertaining film. It’s not a movie you’d want to watch with your entire family in the room. But, if you’re looking for something to watch as a couple, it’s worth taking the time to see it.

My Grade: A