Dr. Alfred Kinsey attempted to shed some light on the subject of human sexuality which, according to the film Kinsey, was considered absolutely taboo in the late 1940s. Kinsey published two books, “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female”, in which he documented the results of frank interviews with the American public about their sexual habits.
In the film, Kinsey (Liam Neeson) stumbles upon the subject as a professor at Indiana University. His first sexual encounter with his wife Clara (Laura Linney) is painful and awkward. After visiting a specialist, the couple is able to consummate their marriage in a “proper” and pain-free manner. Soon after, Kinsey is visited by a pair of students with some questions about sex. They figure since he’s a biologist, he can answer their questions.
Their questions open Kinsey’s eyes to the fact that science hasn’t studied human sexuality anywhere near as much as it has had other animals, such as he had done with insects, for example. Kinsey sets out to start a human sexuality class at the university to replace the stiff, morality-laden course provided by the health teacher, Thurman Rice (a marvelously droll Tim Curry). Once the class is started, he finds a unique opportunity to interview the class about their sexual habits in confidence. The results startle him and lead him to launch a similar knowledge gathering frenzy on the entire United States.
Kinsey found that while the established “proper and moral” sexuality involved a married man and a married woman in the missionary position, reality dictated that there were a large number of people who masturbate, have extra-marital affairs, homosexual experiences, and pre-marital sex. Eventually, public support turned to outrage as he told Americans what they didn’t want to hear about themselves: they were sexually active far beyond the confines of “proper and moral”.
Dr. Kinsey, in his quest for knowledge, never really came to understand people’s feelings as much as he seemed to be interested in cataloging their behaviors. His incessant interviewing of everyone he came in contact with caused a number of problems with not only his immediate family but his colleagues as well.
Liam Neeson was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work as Alfred Kinsey. Laura Linney was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance as Clara “Mac” McMillen, Kinsey’s wife. Both are truly outstanding. Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass), as Clyde Martin, the Kinseys’ assistant and sometimes lover, is superb. Oliver Platt, Timothy Hutton and Chris O’Donnell also turn in fine work in their supporting roles.
If nothing else, Kinsey shows that we haven’t really come very far since 1948 in the way the public views homosexuals or those that practice “deviant” sexual behavior. That’s something that’s all too obvious lately. One can’t deny that without Kinsey’s work, we might just as well still believe that premarital sex is potentially deadly.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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