Elliot lands a job for Erika Tracy as her sexual muse.
Chuck says:
The shadow of Billy Wilder’s “Sunset Boulevard” looms large over Greg Araki’s “I Want Your Sex,” a sharp, if obvious, satire on the art world. From its gripping opening to its larger-than-life egomaniacal main character, this is a story of extremes. Its humor is born from the trials of its sad sack protagonist and the outsized personality at its center, a master manipulator whose abrasive persona of indifference, hides a well of insecurities.
We first see avant-garde artist Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde) face down in a swimming pool. Finding out just how she ended up here and why her assistant Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who’s frantically trying to revive her, is dressed in women’s underwear makes up the bulk of the film.
A long series of flashbacks recounts how this aimless young man wound up trapped in this particular spider’s web. Aimless and saddled with debt, Elliot, despite being underqualified and not of the art world, lands the job of being Tracy’s assistant. Though the vague nature of job should have given him pause, he’s so happy to be employed, he could care less what he has to do.
This is exactly what Tracy is looking for as soon, he’s not just picking up dry cleaning or moving things in her house. Before he knows it, he’s become her sex slave, being subjected to intimate activities he never knew existed and manipulated in both obvious and subtle ways.
Initially, this seems like the ideal situation. His frigid girlfriend (Charli XCX) won’t give him the time of day and the excitement of this new situation continually trumps his common sense. However, eventually Elliot comes to realize the abusive nature of this relationship and attempts to put a stop to it.
Poking fun at the pretentious nature of the art world is like shooting fish in a barrel but Araki manages to conjure a genuinely hilarious approach. From art made from chewing gum to minimalism taken to absurd lengths, the director knows just how to skewer his subject with humor of the proper acidity.
Wilde is very good here, the actress having great fun bringing this paragon of narcissism to life. There’s a twinkle in her eye through it never breaks the spell she casts, her self-aware performance underscoring that very quality in Tracy. Hoffman matches her every step of the way, unafraid to look foolish, embracing his character’s haplessness and eager attitude. That we ultimately feel sympathy for him underscores the relatable nature in the actor’s performance.
For Tracy, everything in life is a performance, a constant parade of empty gestures, declarations and intentions, all of which puts those who enter her orbit in danger. There’s an emptiness in her life she refuses to address and had Araki focused on this more, the film’s edge would have been sharper and more meaningful.
However, farce is more the director’s bag here. As such, we’re not supposed to wonder just why Tracy would target Elliot. He’s low-hanging fruit and wilts in the face of her sexuality. This is hardly a challenge for her yet perhaps that’s a commentary on her artifice as well.
In the end, “Sex” serves its purpose. It delivers a few laughs, will push the boundaries of some and pokes fun at some rather obvious targets. Yet, it could have and should have been much more. That it ultimately proves to be as empty as its protagonist is fitting and, perhaps, intentional.
2 1/2 Stars
