‘Kinsey’ can amuse, embarrass

JOHN DEPKO

I was in elementary school in the 1950s when the groundbreaking

Kinsey Report on Human Sexual Behavior became a bestseller. It caused

great controversy, but I was too young to understand what it was all

about. I do remember whispered conversations between my parents and

their friends that included Kinsey’s name. Even as kids, we knew they

were talking about something naughty that we weren’t supposed to know

about.

“Kinsey” Director Bill Condon captures the feel of the repressive

and hypocritical society that was shocked by Alfred Kinsey’s

revelations. By today’s standards, the information in the reports and

this movie would hardly shock anyone. They pale in comparison to the

wild and raunchy spectacle in all our media today. Human sexuality

courses are now commonplace in college. But Kinsey’s research was the

first to explicitly uncover the truth about the common sexual habits

of Americans.

Liam Neeson is ideally cast as the complex and stubborn man whose

findings were the seeds of the ‘60s’ Sexual Revolution. He is

accurately portrayed as a man of flawed genius, whose purely clinical

approach blinded him to the tremendous emotional impact sex can have.

Laura Linney is outstanding as his wife, partner and understanding

confidant. They both might earn acting nods at Oscar time.

Interviews with thousands of men and women are at the core of

Kinsey’s work and the screenplay of this film. Amusement and

embarrassment are present in equal measure as people from all walks

of life reveal what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms. Viewers

should be warned that the very personal nature of these stories can

provide some uncomfortable moments in between the knowing smiles and

occasional laughter of the audience.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.