Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex is a success for Woody Allen if only for him being able to go through a whole host of satirizing that is always, if not hilarious, cleverly crafted and impeccably cast. Certain scenes I would mark as some of the funniest I've still ever seen from Woody Allen. But like a Monty Python sketch movie ala the Meaning of Life, you may or may not get all of the scenes consistently on edge and classic. But in terms of experimenting with form, it is one of the very best that Woody has come up with, at a time when he was making his "early, funny movies".
The highlights for me include the climactic (err, maybe pun intended) end sequence showing the inner workings (with Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds present in the control room) of intercourse; the faux game show involving sexual questions (and yes, that is Regis Philbin) with a truly belly-laugh of a finale involving a Jewish mother; best is the Gene Wilder sheep scene, which was my favorite when I first saw the film as a kid. Interestingly enough, even when there are segments that aren't as funny as the others (the sci-fi spoof with the giant boob, or the opening segment sent in medieval times), it does become a little more humorous in future viewings. One that really did become funnier seen in my older years is the foreign film spoof where Italian mixes with god knows what, almost dead-on spoof wise.
Is the film on the brilliance level of Manhattan or Deconstructing Harry? Maybe in spots, but on a very different level. I could almost see myself recommending the film to those who are new to the Allen filmography. It's unpretentious, and very keen on the subject matter at the peak of the sexual revolution, something that might've inspired the ZAZ team for their Kentucky Fried Movie. Or, at the least, have wondered what it's like when Wilder puts S&M garb on a sheep, it's worth a viewing (some of his dialog with the sheep is a killer every single time I see it). Cute opening titles, by the way.
The highlights for me include the climactic (err, maybe pun intended) end sequence showing the inner workings (with Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds present in the control room) of intercourse; the faux game show involving sexual questions (and yes, that is Regis Philbin) with a truly belly-laugh of a finale involving a Jewish mother; best is the Gene Wilder sheep scene, which was my favorite when I first saw the film as a kid. Interestingly enough, even when there are segments that aren't as funny as the others (the sci-fi spoof with the giant boob, or the opening segment sent in medieval times), it does become a little more humorous in future viewings. One that really did become funnier seen in my older years is the foreign film spoof where Italian mixes with god knows what, almost dead-on spoof wise.
Is the film on the brilliance level of Manhattan or Deconstructing Harry? Maybe in spots, but on a very different level. I could almost see myself recommending the film to those who are new to the Allen filmography. It's unpretentious, and very keen on the subject matter at the peak of the sexual revolution, something that might've inspired the ZAZ team for their Kentucky Fried Movie. Or, at the least, have wondered what it's like when Wilder puts S&M garb on a sheep, it's worth a viewing (some of his dialog with the sheep is a killer every single time I see it). Cute opening titles, by the way.