Review of Relax... It's Just Sex

This 1997 film had to wait two years for a distributor, but still has a fresh, bold, fun feel to it. Writer/director P. J. Castellaneta offers a quirky mix of typically LA characters who flail through their lives dazed and confused about romance, commitment, and the meaning of life, but still manage to care for one another and cope with the various crises of life in the latest "low, dishonest decade" in the twentieth century's banner hit parade. Standouts amongst the ensemble cast are Mitchell Anderson as Vincey, Jennifer Tilly as unofficial den mother Tara, and Lori Petty who manages to put flesh and bones on the cartoon-like character of Robin. There are a number of choice cameos, including two great appearances by Susan Tyrell and Paul Winfield (unforgettable as "Auntie Mahalia"). The one thing that irritated me about this film was that yet again we get treated to grainy vid-screen meditations by the characters upon their feelings. This seemed a particular cop-out in what should have been one of Jennifer Tilly's strongest scenes towards the end of the film. Drama school teachers should ban any mention or use of video cameras in screenplays submitted by their students for at least the next decade.