Sex, Lies, and Videotape
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 3 out of 25

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  1. ryancarroll88
    Aug 27, 2010
    9
    It doesn't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but provides an interesting look at sex and relationships and all the kinks in between the two. You have to give director Steven Soderbergh credit for making a movie that focuses completely on sex without having any actual sex scenes (or even nudity). It's also nice to see a film that deals with the subject matter so maturely without having to get Woody Allen involved.… Expand
  2. MarkR.
    Aug 24, 2009
    10
    One of the best films I've ever seen. almost twenty years old and has lost none of its erotic and intellectual impact.
  3. NachoC.
    Jul 20, 2009
    10
    Wow. Soderbergh stop making big budget films, come back to writing solid screenplays and drawing the best out of actors. SLV was a fantastic film, highly recommended.
  4. RobertR
    Jul 22, 2007
    8
    Sex, Lies, and Videotape is an imposingly inherent annotation on infidelity. Its four separate protagonists share affinities in their exposure to sex, one being their reluctance to completely discuss sex as a sober topic. Though it appears that Graham is the most sophomoric of the characters, his ability to comprehend sex as a momentous and frustrating force in life is a profound revelation that permits the transcendence of his character, which deepens the dimensions of… Expand
  5. DavidA.
    Feb 21, 2005
    10
    Very impressive. Even back then, Soderbergh knew how to make awesome movies.
  6. KevinD.
    Feb 11, 2005
    3
    Boring. Thats pretty much all I have to say. I forced myself through it the first time and won't make myself endure that garbage again. Well acted, well directed, but just plain boring.
  7. JaneA.
    Jul 1, 2004
    10
    Brilliant. Really wonderful.
  8. PatC.
    Jan 19, 2004
    8
    An engrossing & unique project that seems indie in its atmosphere and construction. Like the relationships it decribes, it goes nowhere and with reckless unresistable energy. It's like Woody Allen minus the obsession for closure. It was made back when finding an answer still mattered, but when it was also an accepted alternative to minimize the importance of an answer. The sexual mindset as an expression of will is therefore implicit. … Expand
  9. YoonC.
    Sep 15, 2003
    2
    Trite, smarmy, and indulgent. A story of people with nothing to do made by a filmmaker who'd do better to do nothing.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    90
    What "The Big Chill" was to baby boomers, the inspirational sex, lies, and videotape is to the mall crowd. It's designer soul-searching, a looking glass for a generation.
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  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    80
    Cunningly scripted and acted, and talky in the best sense, the film is engrossing to watch but not especially interesting to ponder afterward; it's certainly an improvement on formulaic Hollywood, but on a thematic level there's still more windup than delivery.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    100
    A movie of prodigious power and feeling that is also high-spirited, hilarious and scorchingly erotic.
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