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 & 8 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 | oral sex | female frontal nudity | orgy | masturbation | 

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Taglines:

You've got to get on to get off

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was going to fire Sook-Yin Lee when they learned that she was going to be participating in a film with explicit sexual content. Several prominent individuals came to her rescue, including Gus Van Sant, Atom Egoyan, David Cronenberg and Julianne Moore, in successfully urging CBC to retain Lee as a member of their staff.

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Goofs

(at around 56 mins) Caleb is sitting in a chair in the background when Jamie asks James if James still loves him. In a reaction shot, Caleb is standing in a doorway.

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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 Starz Inside: Sex and the Cinema (2009)

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Soundtracks

Sweet Road
Performed by Animal Collective
Written by Avey Tare and Panda Bear (as Noah Lennox)
Published by Avey beartongs (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Fat Cat Records

User Reviews

Like a gory car wreck, you try and look away but keep looking...

First of all I am a "straight" man so I wont let this cloud my review of this film...

I found this movie hard to watch at times but the fact that this was toted as "real" sexuality peaked my interest in the first place. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into but even my own preconceptions were shot to hell by this.

If you have a problem with the interactions of 2 or more of the same sex partners then this is NOT the movie for you... But if you can keep an open mind then it may be something that may give you some insight into the homosexual culture.

Like most people I had seen sex in one form or another already on screen but that was something that was somewhat scripted... This movie was as real as you could get without seeing it live I guess would be its best compliment.... But its not all about just throwing people out there to have sex and film it.

There are deeper subjects that John Cameron Mitchell tackles, such as fears of not being loved as you once were by your partner, trying to achieve orgasm that a lot of women might have a problem and just finding true love....

As I said about the car wreck, even though the film made me incredibly uncomfortable I found myself trying to open my mind to other things so I kept looking back at the film, to see what the message thats trying to be portrayed to those with a closed mind...

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

Gross USA:

$1,985,292

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,526,675

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