After Sex
The past few years have seen a slew of largely interchangeable ensemble comedy-dramas about photogenic twenty- and thirtysomethings living and loving in the '90s (and the still-unnamed present decade). Generally set in Los Angeles and littered with falling but recognizable stars, they even boast identical-sounding titles: Let's Talk About Sex, Friends & Lovers, Just A Little Harmless Sex, Something About Sex, and now director Cameron Thor's After Sex. But while its title hints at titillation, After Sex is a surprisingly glum comedic drama about three couples forced to rethink their commitment to each other after the women enjoy a bonding weekend that degenerates into relationship-threatening debauchery. Standing firmly outside this coven of unhappy couples is hard-drinking, hard-living single woman Brooke Shields, in yet another insulting depiction of a sexually assertive woman as a self-destructive pariah who all but sobs uncontrollably whenever she sees a pregnant woman or a happy couple. Acting as a television-age Greek chorus for these shrill romantic squabbles are Loveline's Dr. Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla, their irritating blend of frat-boy one-liners and smug moralizing setting the tone for the film as a whole. Like a mediocre stand-up comic,After Sex offers plenty of lame jokes about self-help books and porn to go with its familiar observations about the differences between men and women, delivered blandly to an audience likely to forget its existence the moment it's over, if not sooner.