Shortbus (2006)

A group of New Yorkers caught up in their romantic-sexual milieu converge at an underground salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.

Director:

John Cameron Mitchell

Writer:

John Cameron Mitchell

Stars:

Sook-Yin Lee, Peter Stickles, PJ DeBoy

7 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Dawson	...	James
Lindsay Beamish	...	Severin
Adam Hardman	...	Jesse, the John
Sook-Yin Lee	...	Sofia
Raphael Barker	...	Rob
Peter Stickles	...	Caleb, the Stalker
PJ DeBoy	...	Jamie
David Pittu	...	Jacuzzi Hunter
Jeff Whitty	...	Jacuzzi Hunted
Mickey Cottrell	...	Dead Man in the Jacuzzi
Mary Beth Peil	...	Ann (Our Lady of the Gutter)
Shanti Carson	...	Leah, the Beautiful Couple
Jan Hilmer	...	Nick, the Beautiful Couple
Mx Justin Vivian Bond	...	Justin Bond
Bradford Scobie	...	Dr. Donut

Storyline

Numerous New York City dwellers come to the exclusive club Shortbus to work out problems in their sexual relationships. Rob and Sophia are a happily married couple, except for the fact that she has never experienced sexual climax. This irony follows her to work because she is a couples counselor who frequently has to deal with the sexual issues other couples have. Two of her patients are Jamie and James, a gay couple who have been monogamous for five years and counting. James wants to bring other men in to the relationship, and his own history with depression may hint at an ulterior motive. Ceth (pronounced Seth) may be the perfect addition to their family, but Caleb, a voyeur from across the street, may have his own ideas about that. Sophia visits Severin, a dominatrix with secrets of her own to reveal.

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Plot Keywords:

ejaculation | unsimulated sex | oral sex | female frontal nudity | orgy | 

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Taglines:

You've got to get on to get off

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sex Film Project

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$107,907, 8 October 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,985,292, 8 February 2007

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,093,860, 15 April 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

THINKFilm,Fortissimo Films,Q Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reg Vermue, who plays the albino guy in Club Shortbus, is not actually albino, though he does have very light pigmentation.

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Goofs

(at around 22 mins) When viewing his profile Ceth reads Magnum's "measurements". An important one is listed as 15cm, which receives a gasp from Sofia. In reality 15cm is a bit under 6 inches, which is about average.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jesse, the John: Are you a top or a bottom?
Severin: I beg your pardon?
Jesse, the John: I mean in real life.
Severin: This is real life.
Jesse, the John: Let me put it this way: do you think we should get out of Iraq?

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Crazy Credits

The orgy participants seen throughout Club Shortbus are credited as 'Sextras' at the end of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Brows Held High: Shortbus (2012)

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Soundtracks

Kids
Performed by John LaMonica
Written by John LaMonica II
Published by EKM Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of John LaMonica

User Reviews

Explicit, and that's a good thing

What everyone will hear about "Shortbus" is that the sex is real and explicit. Yes, this is all true. But so is the emotional journey the characters go through.

Far from being crude or offensive, Shortbus is fresh, insightful, celebratory -- and, most importantly, focused on the fully realized people, not just the bodies, who bare their flesh and feelings on screen. Like Michael Winterbottom, who made the explicit "9 Songs," writer/director John Cameron Mitchell says he wants to show true human sexuality as part of his story. Unlike "9 Songs," which seemed to focus on 1/8 of the full human experience of relationships (concerts and sex), Mitchell's "Shortbus" approaches 9/10 of the authentic experience of being human, being miserable, looking to come to joy, and exploring funny, sensual, and affectionate avenues to get there.

Is "Shortbus" provocative? Yes. Is it explicit? Yes! And these are good things in these politically authoritarian times.