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Dom Robinson reviews
make one!!
Columbia TriStar
- Cat.no: CDR 29601
- Cert: 15
- Running time: 89 minutes
- Year: 1999
- Pressing: 1999
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 28 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: None
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: £19.99
- Extras : Scene index, Trailer, Featurette, Cast Video Diary
Director:
- Nick Hurran
(Girls Night, Remember Me?, TV: Outside Edge)
Producer:
- Christopher Figg
Screenplay:
- Nick Fisher
Music:
- Rupert Gregson-Williams
Cast:
- Justine: Laura Fraser (Divorcing Jack, Left Luggage, TV: Neverwhere)
Jake: Rupert Penry-Jones (Hilary and Jackie, TV: The Student Prince)
Fran: Marcelle Duprey
Chas: Luke de Lacey
Alex: Kieran O’Brien (TV: Cracker)
Hoover: Natasha Bell
Virtual Sexuality,from its title, sounded like one of those American teen sex-comedies from the1980s where the kids would get up to all sorts of unbelievable high jinks- this time featuring computers – and it was all directed by John Hughes.
Well, it’s not. It’s a British film with more than a passing resemblence to WeirdScience, but with a twist. The principal character, Justine (Laura Fraser),can’t find herself a date and thinks she is forever doomed to live in Singlesville,especially after her latest attempt to woo school soccer ace Alex (Kieran O’Brien).
It’s left to school spanner and supposed friend of Alex, Chas (Luke de Lacey, wholooks like Britain’s answer to Matthew Broderick) to break the news and so they head offtogether to a Virtual Reality show at Earls Court. Justine tries out a VR machine thatenables her to do anything from ‘trying out’ new lipsticks or changing her appearance.After skipping the point of this and creating an image of her dream man, a freak accidentoccurs and Justine’s body is instantly transformed into that of Jake (Rupert Penry-Jones)who she’s just put together.
Cue the obvious woman-as-a-man gags as Jake has to endure the boys school locker room, inwhich everyone mistakes “him” for being gay when he’s really a girl, plus the unwantedattentions of a man-eating nymphomaniac tanned, bottle-blonde babe nicknamed “Hoover”(Natasha Bell). Things then take a very bizarre turn when “he” comes face to facewith Justine’s best-friend Fran (Marcelle Duprey) and er… Justine! Yes, somehowshe still exists in her usual form, but what will happen when they meet up? Will it bring anew meaning to the words “to fancy yourself” ?
The picture is mostly top-notch, but there’s a handful of scenes which either suffera slight shimmering effect or the hazy look that affects a number of Columbia discs.The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 ratio and is anamorphic, while theaverage bitrate is a so-so 4.46Mb/s, occasionally peaking above 7Mb/s.
The sound is also very good but for a romantic comedy, the sound is mainly limitedto some visual cues and decent music from Imani Coppola (Legend of a Cowgirl,being just one of her tracks on this soundtrack), Touch and Go (Would You)and Imogen Heap‘s Alanis-esque Come Here Boy which was due for release in theUK in July 1998 but seemed to get cancelled at the last minute. The dialogue comes inDolby Digital 5.1 for English only.
Extras : Chapters/Trailer :The usual 28 chapters are applied here and the theatrical traileris also included. Languages/Subtitles :Dolby Digital 5.1 in English alone and, surprisingly, no subtitles. And there’s more… :But not a great deal. The six-minute Featurette is like the sort ofextended trailer that adorns many an Entertainment in Video release, while theCast Video Diary is barely more than a minute of some of the cast membersbuggering about with video cameras while on the film set. Menu :A standard static and silent menu with a screenshot of the front coverand the basic options.
With a screenplay from The Sun’s movie reviewer Nick Fisher, this film isdefinitely one for the MTV generation with lots of quick-cuts and onscreen captionswhere it’s needed. However, if you’re like me and you grew up with films likeWeird Science and The Breakfast Club, you’d be better off sticking withthose again and leave Virtual Sexuality to those around the 17-year-old ageof most of the characters, even though most of the actors seem to be on the wrongside of 20.FILM : **PICTURE QUALITY: ****SOUND QUALITY: ****EXTRAS: *½——————————-OVERALL: ***
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.