Why
are the lives of gays and Lesbians so turbulent at times?
Most observers would not even care to pose the question, whether
gay or straight. Writer/director P.J. Castellaneta dares to
ask and provides his advice in the title Relax . . .
It’s Just Sex even before the film begins. As if to
invite straights to overcome their shock, the film begins
with some campy non-porn same-sex lovemaking and porn display
of overmuscular "gym queens." Set in Los Angeles, we find
a multiethnic group of bisexuals, gays, and Lesbians, including
a straight couple who enjoy their company, but none of the
characters appear to have very much in common except that
they form one another’s support groups. Everyone has problems,
though the scale varies. For a gymgoing clone couple, the
only problem is what to fix for Sunday breakfast before attending
a church where gays are accepted and nurtured, but nobody
listens when they try to provide religious advice. In an alley
during the film, the problem is gaybashing. For one character,
the problem is being HIV+, and another character questions
the efficacy of solutions from the medical establishment.
For the rest, attaining satisfying love is the obsession,
yet few realize that common interests reinforce love, whereas
sex alone often grows dull and cannot provide lasting pleasure.
The dialog consists of clever lines that laugh at frustrations,
but the immaturity of the group demonstrates that the laughter
is for tension release rather than leading toward increased
self-realization. Tara (played by Jennifer Tilly), the fag
hag who enjoys mothering those who find themselves unhappy,
talks too fast and too much to provide consolation, possibly
due to her problem of not being able to make a baby with her
husband. The protagonist Vincey (played by Mitchell Anderson),
unlucky in love because he cannot relate intellectually after
sex, eventually repairs to write a play based on his experience,
presumably the text (and moral) of the film. MH
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