Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst films I have ever seen
Review: Graham's integrity creates an opening for the most touching, simple honesty. Two sisters clearly are astonished to discover a man to whome they could relate on this level. All of the fake male and female role stuff that we were forced into starting in highschool melts away and the emotional realness that emerges moves the plot forward. I wish this kind of thing would happen outside films.
Rating: 
Summary: a rare victory for honesty between men and women
Review: Graham's integrity creates an opening for the most touching, simple honesty. Two sisters clearly are astonished to discover a man to whome they could relate on this level. All of the fake male and female role stuff that we were forced into starting in highschool melts away and the emotional realness that emerges moves the plot forward. I wish this kind of thing would happen outside films.
Rating:
Summary: Languid Angst
Review: Have you always been depressed? (asks the therapist)
Andie MacDowell (Southern belle w/ennui): "Oh, yes, well, except for a little while, 'couple years ago, I was happy for a while-I hated it. I gained weight."This is actually a movie about trust, despite the deceit that colors most modern human relationships. Soderbergh's quiet little drama about Southern duplicity (lies) is as much about communication style as it is about passion (sex). The filming (videotapes) referred to in the title comes from Spader's irritating habit of filming his surroundings (as opposed to interacting with it). MacDowell-his college roommate's unhappy wife is equally detached, but in an entirely different way. The film moves into and out of three circles of relations-the two men, the two known relationships and the two illicit affairs. It is about attachment and detached feelings and the way people move into and out of our lives. The background are so sparse and muted that only the movement of the actors catches our eye. We are shown only an interior world of offices and homes. Only the actors and their dialogue get special attention. It is intimate in a way that few "non-independents" films allow themselves to be, and rarely accomplish. The result is a tone that is conspiratorial and not a little voyearistic. As the film moves forward it is clear that there are no "good guys" "bad guys" here. Men lie to their wives and themselves. Truth is negotiable and there is no pity to those niave enough to have faith in other people. Soderbergh saves us from a nihilistic finish, but just barely.
One fun thing to watch is the clothing of the two main characters: Spader and MacDowell-watch how they change during the course of the film as they move toward a mutually comfortable distance.
Rating: 
Summary: a must for internet users
Review: I believe Soderbergh set the rules for a sub-genre with this film. The discomfort of converting to simulacrums of women (as opposed to having real sex) is something men began to experience more and more in the last decades. To me, this phenomenon forms the true spine of the theme for SLAV. Though not "perfect" in terms of storytelling, SLAV is both intellectual and entertaining. Watch it! It's about "watching"...
Rating:
Summary: Psychology 101 - A limpid, uninspiring, facile flick.
Review: I have endured this movie many times, each time straining to eek out some enjoyment or interest. Each time failing and wondering more and more what the big deal is. The story is child-like in its conception and I understand why it took Mr. Schoderberg so few days to write. I can only compare this film to Flatliners in its inability to produce a coherent and stimulating script. To those who loved the film, I suggest they get out more and even read a few books. 'My secret Garden' by Nancy Friday would a better start than this woeful effort.
Rating:
Summary: "Did anybody touch anybody"
Review: I keep thinking about Hitchcock's Notorious everytime I watch Sex, Lies & Videotape. With a different plot and genre, both masterful films tell the story of all the lies that veil people from the truth. Visually, they give us clues or icons. A key is not just a key, and a houseplant is not just a houseplant. The line about villains being the heroes in their own imagination could easily explain the thrust of not just the cheating husband but even the more morally appealing characters. The trick is how the drama changes or doesn't change people.
Stylistically, it is very sparse but frugal. The cast and cameras make the most of what they have. Gallagher spins John's wedding ring and wears a queen's ivy. McDowell blushes and laughs as Ann. Spader lays Graham open to disarming vulnerability. San Giancomo asserts Cynthia's chin and takes up another challenge in her rivalry with her sister, Soderbergh?s camera doesn't waste any of it. McDowell and San Giancomo act like sisters. Even the videocamera and television take on semblance of character. (Compare Hitchcock?s use of doors dramatically shutting and the video ending in tv snow. It is the same finality.) The barfly cracks me up with his improvised drunken wooing. It is welcome comic relief and accents a very subtle charm in the drama and comedy bundled together.
In his commentary with a fellow director on this DVD, Soderbergh makes all sorts of references to other filmmakers. I was disappointed, at first, that he didn't mention Notorious but reveled that we viewers bring something to the to the table on our own. Film may seem like a passive media, but it ain't.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing Nude; Yet Something Lewd
Review: I saw this movie yesterday with lot of anticipation, for it is the first venture for Steven Soderbergh. His Traffic was a wonderful movie that captured the essence of drug dealing from the views of diverse people, from mongers to parents. And of course Erin Brockovich was outstanding too. But this is a very different plot, which revolves around four people and the lack of communication between them, their lives, their lies and a voyeur's videotapes. Ann is pent-up sexually and her husband John has an affair with her sister, of course without ann's knowledge. In the meantime, Graham, a college friend of John comes into the lives of the three and changes it rather dramatically. Everyone lies about their interpersonal lives and Graham happens to drive the two women out to reveal their secrets and change their lives with the women agreeing to talk about sexual relations. He videotapes them. Admitting that he is an impotent in the presence of a girl, Graham gets excited by watching the videos of women talking and doing whatever they want to do. Alhough the characters are not necessarily the best choices, in my opinion (I am not a great fan of Andie MacDowell by the way), they blend into their assigned roles pretty well. Its indeed amazing that the movie could be achieved without any nudity. Awkward and repelling, nevertheless well-made with the Soderbergh's touch.
Rating:
Summary: Finished by the graceful touch of God
Review: I won't talk much about the synopsis, you can find it anywhere. I see SLV as an exceptionally intimate exploration of human sexuality, honesty and morality. Four leading characters divided into two groups reproduce an unforgettable confrontation of "the soulful" versus "the physical". Amazing screenplay and directing by the (then) 26 years old writer-director Steven Soderbergh proves and makes one wonder about how much a young artist can accomplish.
The last couple of seconds of the film (an exterior scene) was improvised by Andie MacDowell and James Spader as a gentle rain started landing on the stage. Hence the altogether casual and graceful sentences "I think it will rain.." and "It IS raining" poured from the lips of Andie MacDowell and James Spader. On the commentary audio track Steven Soderbergh says about these last moments that "Everybody thinks that means something, but it doesn't", but I don't subscribe to that point of view. SLV has the most beautiful ending I have seen to date, and it has happened by itself. But it was deserved, wasn't it?
Rating:
Summary: Should be retitled "love, truth and celluloid."
Review: If you don't get this one, you're not bright enough to. Go watch all the French Eric Rohmer's "morality tales" which obviously inspired the then 27 yr. old Soderberg for an American attempt at this sort of thing. But the unique thing is here that everyone in the film is desperate to lie, live a lie--but even more desperate to tell the truth to the camera! The existential crisis of Graham, played lugubriously by Spader, is brought to an end by a confession--perhaps a lie as well--by John with the intention to hurt not to heal: years earlier he slept with Graham's object of obsession, Elizabeth. Little does he know that's all needed to set the poor unfortunate impotent Graham free to pursue his now estranged wife. The camera is the most developed character, along with the creepy new age "Hearts of Space" type soundtrack. Watch for a great revelation (among many!)from San Giacoma when she says "John and Anne don't have sex anymore."
Rating:
Summary: Interpersonal Communication 101: a review of "SLV"
Review: If you purchase "sex, lies and videotape" expecting to see erotica, you'll be disappointed. Steven Soderbergh's 1989 award winning film (Grand Prize, Cannes Film Fest) is a provocative, sometimes painful examination of how communication, or lack thereof, can affect relationships. The plot revolves around John, (Peter Gallagher) a junior partner in a law firm, his obsessive, repressed wife Ann, (Andie McDowell) her "extroverted" sister Cynthia, (Laura San Giacomo) and the enigmatic Graham, (James Spader) a friend John met in college. Through voice-over, sometimes overlapping narration and crisp editing, the characters are introduced at a rapid pace. While Ann is obsessing about the world's garbage to her shrink, John is in bed with Cynthia. Cynthia told John it would give her a "perverse thrill" to do it in her sister's bed, so when Graham moves to town, John suggests Ann take him apartment hunting. Ann tells Graham she thinks sex is over-rated. Graham tells Ann that for all practical purposes, he is impotent because he can't get an erection in the presence of another person. These events take place in the first 25 minutes of the film, which runs 100 minutes. The interactions between these four people is the film's core. However, the relationship which is most pivotal to the plot--between Graham and Elizabeth, a woman he dated in college--is never explored on film. The viewer can only surmise it from the dialogue. James Spader received the Best Actor Award at Cannes for his powerful, sensitive yet understated portrayal of Graham. Especially poignant in the last 30 minutes of the film, Spader's performance is also praiseworthy because we never doubt Graham's sincerity. The thought that he could be something other than he appears never enters our minds. This film is not for everyone. The characters discuss sex in a frank, yet natural way. Their motivations can be discussed for hours. It's possible some people will have an easier time discussing sex after seeing this film. It's also possible that, depending on your views of sex, this film might disturb you. It is not a film to be seen after a rough day. Rather, it's a film to watch with plans for a "post-film" discussion. Soderbergh also wrote the original screenplay, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Deliberately or not, there are some loose strings regarding Graham. However, this film is so powerful that this minor flaw adds to the film's mystique. No matter what else Soderbergh may do in his already distinguished career, this film will be considered a masterpiece.
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