Addicted
Film Review by Kam Williams
I’m not sure whether in these more enlightened, politically correct times I’m allowed to call a movie a “chick flick” anymore. But when I went to see Addicted, the only other guys in attendance were the couple of buddies I invited to join me at the advance screening.
Furthermore, all the women were African-American. And as they exited the theater afterwards, out of curiosity, I polled about a dozen sisters to see what they thought of the picture. They all loved it. But we men had found it sheer torture, from the tame sex scenes showing precious little skin, to the Puritanical moralizing, to the over-the-top melodrama.
That being said, since the estrogen-laden ladies uniformly enjoyed the film, I’m inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume that testosterone heavily influenced my viewing experience. Therefore, fellow males might want to take anything positive I have to say here with a ton of salt.
At the point of departure, we’re introduced to Zoe Reynard (Sharon Leal). The attractive wife/mother/career woman has a thriving business and a sprawling house in the suburbs where she lives with a couple of cute kids and a doting husband (Boris Kodjoe) who just adores her. Jason showers her with affection and little reminders of his devotion like “I love you more than life itself,” and “Our love is forever.”
Trouble is he can’t satisfy her sexually, despite being a handsome hunk and giving it his best efforts between the sheets. Consequently, after they’ve made love, she remains so aroused that she slips out of bed to finish herself off with a huge dildo.
But she’s somehow still horny the next morning and, despite making mild protestations (“This isn’t right!”), easily succumbs to the seductive charms (“I just love the way your lips move.”) of Quentin (William Levy), an ardent Latin lover with an unintelligible accent that just screams “Subtitle this!” Meanwhile, the indiscriminate adulterer also indulges her illicit urges with a buff biker named Corey (Tyson Beckford).
All of the above unfolds flashback-style as recounted by the regretful protagonist in therapy sessions with Dr. Marcella Spencer (Tasha Smith). Unfortunately, the ineffective shrink comes off as more of a voyeur than a psychologist, given her vapid, incongruous responses (“We need to talk about your childhood,” and “We need to talk about your past.”) to Zoe’s couch confessions.
Long ago, I learned Newton’s law that bodies at rest stay at rest, and bodies in motion stay in motion. But what about a body hit by a speeding car at about 70 mph? You’ll have to see the movie to get that laughable lesson in cartoon physics.
Far be it from me to totally trash a seemingly-silly soap opera males (0 stars) might find laughable to the same extent it moves females (4 stars) to tears. Go figure! Consequently, with the wisdom of a modern day Solomon, permit me to play it safe by splitting the difference.
Good (2 stars)
Rated R for nudity, profanity, graphic sexuality and brief drug use
Running time: 105 minutes
Distributor: Lionsgate Films / Codeblack
To see a trailer for Addicted, visit:
Return to Home