Plot: What’s it about?
Justine (Laura Fraser) is having her troubles with romance and dating in general. After so many disasters and disappointments, she’s about ready to give up, especially when he remembers she has to compete with Hoover (Natasha Bell), who seems to have control over all the local men. When she’s inside a virtual reality machine which allows the user to create their vision of perfection in a person, something goes wrong, and her perfect male creation becomes real. She designed him to her specifications, and now he’s really here, just for her. Or is he? Hoover is bound to work her mojo on the new man in town, and the other girls will be watching him as well. Where things get a little wacky, is that this creation has the male body Justine designed, but his mind is like hers, so he runs around acting like a girl, which leads to some hilarious situations. Add to the mix the scientist who invented the machine, who wants the newly created person for scientific research, and you’ve got a recipe for hijinks. But through all this chaos and wildness, will Justine find the right guy for her, or she doomed to be a virgin forever?
If you can’t tell from the storyline synopsis above, this is a teeny bopper romantic comedy. While the genre is packed with entries, few of them manage to do more than entertain. Very few since some of John Hughes’ classic teen pieces have amounted to much, but I happen to like the genre, if for no other reason than I just kick back and enjoy the movie, without analyzing every scene. Since the movie never pretends to be more than fun filler, I have no problems with the lack of character depth or complex writing devices. The concept may seem a little far fetched, but let’s not forgot another teen flick that has become a classic, Weird Science, eh? The movie is very upbeat and peppy, which makes for a nice break if you’ve been watching dark or somber movies, or you just want your brain to be relaxed while you watch. The visuals are bright, colorful, and fast moving and the whole movie is a cinematic upper, because it just makes you feel bright and shiny inside. Maybe that’s a little extreme, but this is a good entry into the teen comedy genre, and is worth a look for those who enjoy this type of film.
Nick Hurran directed this movie, and to be honest I have never heard of the guy before. But that’s not so harsh, since this is only his third motion picture, and his work is based in England. His other movies are Girl’s Night and Remember Me?, which I will look up, since I liked this film. As with most recent teen comedies, the acting is less based on skill and depth than looking like Britney Spears or a BackStreet Boy, which does not hamper this movie at all. This a fun, but shallow movie, and these seem like fun, but shallow characters, so Shakespearean skills were not needed on this shoot. Our leading character is played by Laura Fraser (The Man In The Iron Mask, Cousin Bette), who looks too good to be playing a girl that has trouble finding someone she likes to screw her. But still, she proves to be the finest actor on the cast list here. Other major characters are played by Rupert Penry-Jones (Still Crazy, Hilary and Jackie), Natasha Bell (Tv’s Sex ‘n’ Death), and Luke De Lacey (The Very Thought Of You). While these folks give decent turns, Bell is way too old to play her character, and looks like a worn out porn star, to be honest. The supporting cast here includes Laura Aikman (Surviving Picasso), Kieran O’ Brien (Bellman and True), and Marcelle Duprey (Backbeat).
Video: How does it look?
Virtual Sexuality is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The movie has a slick, glossy visual style, and this transfer makes sure that style comes across on this medium as well. The colors are vivid and rich, but never bleed or oversaturate, with clean and consistent flesh tones. Contrast is sharp and correct as well, with well defined shadows and very high visible detail level. Even the print looks good, with little flecks or print wear, and no compression errors to be found.
Audio: How does it sound?
As with most teen comedies, the soundtrack is kickin’, so your speakers will be pumping the audio throughout. The video game sequences will also have the surrounds pulsing, so plenty of audio power is found with this Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The dialogue doesn’t get lost in the music and effects though, as every word is crisp and consistent. The disc also includes a 2.0 track, for those without expansive home audio systems.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains a six and a half minute behind the scenes featurette, as well as a very brief look at the video diaries the cast created during the production. Theatrical trailers for this film, as well as Still Crazy, Go, and Can’t Hardly Wait and talent files round out the disc.
