Sex, Politics & Cocktails (2002)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Julien Hernandez

Writer:

Julien Hernandez (writer)

Release Date:

20 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

If you're still single at 30, you're f%@cked. Sound familiar?

Plot:

Unable to tie the knot with his prozac captivated girlfriend, Cuban Filmmaker Sebastian Cortez, finds himself 30-years old and never in love...

Plot Keywords:

Film Maker | Gay Interest

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Julien Hernandez	...	Sebastien Cortex
Marisa Petroro	...	Daria
Seth Macari	...	Michael
Alex Douglas	...	Paulie
Don Max	...	Dante
Dave Emerson	...	Guy
Paul Lekakis	...	Nick, a.k.a. Mr Bang Bang
Lonnie Simpson	...	Rex
Hunter F. Roberts	...	Jeff
Gina Vetro	...	Veronica
Jonathan Zenz	...	Pascal
Devon Michael Jones	...	Blaire Edgewood
Lonnie Henderson	...	Billy
Ron Doyle	...	Mr. Miller
Barry Ashley	...	Old Sebastien

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Kuba Pictures

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005) (V)

Variations on the Theme of Relationships

SEX, POLITICS & COCKTAILS is another version of the 30s-something relationship avoiders trying to master the art of partner browsing, 'looking for love in all the wrong places'. This little shoestring film seems more like a stand-up comedian gig with visuals than a movie. That may be due to the fact that the writer and director and producer and star are all one person - Julien Hernandez. While Hernandez has a charm and adequate charisma to make this theme work, his film could have benefited from outsourcing the roles other than actor and make a little movie that would have seemed more entertaining and less self indulgent.

Screenwriter Sebastien (Julien Hernandez) has turned 30 and has yet to have a significant relationship - or employment. When a film project is offered to him, despite the fact that the subject matter is a study of gay relationships, Sebastien pleads for the job and then turns to his best friend Daria (Marisa Petroro) who is constantly surrounded by gay friends to introduce him to the gay life (Sebastien has been living a straight life). What follows is an endless set of encounters with gay men in interviews, in acting out, and in demonstrating just what makes various gay relationships work and not work. Sebastien is drawn to the crowd as they are drawn to him and begins to feel the gravity pull towards the men, one of whom is a wealthy African American male Billy (Lonnie Henderson) who dispels all of Sebastien's prejudices. The characters we meet in this survey are for the most part stereotypically flat and some of the 'controversial' parts, such as Sebastien's first encounter with a solo night of video porn and a banana fugue, go on too long to remain funny.

Julien Hernandez is a talented guy on the screen with a big dollop of charisma and natural charm. The one standout actor is Marisa Petroro who has a fine screen presence and saves the film in every scene in which she is featured. The problem with SEX, POLITICS & COCKTAILS lies in the direction and the decisions to employ too many camera tricks, flashbacks, stills on moving shots, and captions that only serve to slow the film down and reveal a degree of self indulgence. Others such as Woody Allen are capable of combining all the roles that Hernandez takes on but manage to keep the resulting work focused. But then this is Hernandez first outing and despite the overall weakness of this effort, he does give notice of a man with talent: he just needs a good director! Grady Harp