Admirable film.

A different way of telling a story

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

And thoroughly enjoyed pretty much every minute of it. Film follows a daisy chain of relationships until the circle is closed at the end. This is exactly what I hoped a movie like Sidewalks of New York would be (but definitely WAS NOT). A look at real-life-type relationships from many different points of view. My favorites were Tom Everett Scott (always a favorite for me, nobody underplays like him) and Azura Skye, their scenes together are precious. I know there's been other movies with a shfiting focus like this one but derivative or not it hit the spot. Worth checking out despite the risqué title.

I admit it... I watched this movie for the title. I live in a highly censored country yet they were showing it on Star Movies! I expected B-movie tawdry but was rewarded with a good movie about sex.The movie is a decent exploration of the ripple effect of sex -- not a masterpiece -- but a thoughtful look at the subject.It's not a spoiler to say that the story line jumps from partner to partner through a series of sexual encounters. At times, the links loop around to reveal connection even the character are unaware of.It reminded me of the STD warnings that when you have sex with a person, you are also having sex with every one of THEIR partners.With any ensemble caste movie, the acting isn't equal but there really is no bad acting in this film. I thought Anne Heche really stood out and her performance makes this a "must see" for Heche fans (like me.)If I was a TV director, I'd take this idea and turn it into a mini-series. Each one of the sub-plots could have been given given its own 73-minute treatment and explored a few of the loose ends that could not be developed in 96 minutes.

Writer/Director Ken Kwapis ('About a Boy', 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants', episodes on TV series 'ER', 'The Office', 'Malcolm in the Middle', etc) knows his ways around the ups and downs of contemporary relationships, weighing the importance of the physical aspect of the union against the para-physical benefits and makes no prescription for which is of more importance. SEXUAL LIFE explores several couples whose married or about to be married status receives the testing of infidelity.A wedding photographer is frustrated with his executive girlfriend's lack of intimacy and seeks physical satisfaction through an upscale prostitute who has her own rather solid ground views of her business. The photographer's girlfriend is finding physical satisfaction with her married architect boss who in turn is trying to hide his infidelity from his wife who in turn feels she must seek outside satisfaction with an old college flame who happens to be gay and she turns to a hotel clerk at the point of a fantasy liaison for gratification. The hotel clerk happens to be having an affair with an engaged African American girl and is frustrated about her impending marriage to a frustratedly 'correct' African American male who feels he is following a proscribed duty and seeks attention from the prostitute who opens the whole story. How these intersecting couples work out their dilemmas and resolve their individual needs for expanded physical needs in the presence of the safety of relationships is the clever puzzle Kwapis presents - with the conclusions primarily left up to us, the viewers.The cast is homogeneously fine and attractive - Eion Bailey, Elizabeth Banks, Fionnula Flanagan, Anne Heche, Dule Hill, Sam Jaeger, Kerry Washington, Steven Weber, Steven Williams, Shirley Knight, James LeGros, Tom Everett Scott, and Azura Skye along with the minor characters. Kwapis keeps the flow integrated so that the story does indeed seem like a series of coincidences. The sexual scenes are more suggested than graphic and should not offend even the most skeptical viewer. This was, after all, a movie made for Showtime TV, but it stands very well as a tightly conceived and acted lesson about relationships. Well worth watching. Grady Harp

I usually enjoying choosing a film rental which does not tout big-name actors. Fresh faces & talent breathe new life into the medium. "Talent," however, is key. "Sexual Life" certainly has ambition, but the ambition never gets out of the gate. The narratives remain superficial; the acting is not of a high caliber. The film was definitely over-edited.With 9 characters, one would hope that a film entitled "Sexual Life" might explore something more than boy-on-girl sexual relationships. Yawn! There is one gay character, but he is on screen for 3 minutes, sharing a dinner with Anne Heche's character.Azura Skye shows promise here. She should have received top billing.