Kinsey (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Ken S

  
  Great acting, some really fun moments. It's not going to rock your world, but it might nudge it a little.

• Spencer S

  
  A biographical film concerning the findings, research, and life of Dr. Alfred Kinsey, a zoologist and entomologist who turned his attention to the science of sex when the nation was still knee deep in the Cold War. Kinsey opened the American public up to a great deal of factual… More
  A biographical film concerning the findings, research, and life of Dr. Alfred Kinsey, a zoologist and entomologist who turned his attention to the science of sex when the nation was still knee deep in the Cold War. Kinsey opened the American public up to a great deal of factual information that changed lives, saved others, and put a brighter light on human biological functions, making it obvious to general speculation that all of us are equally normal, and different at the same time. The film explores the revelations of Kinsey, and the steps he took from simply studying animal behavior, to the unheard of concept of sexual research. None of it broaches on especially scandalous in modern eyes, but the chasm between Kinsey, his wife, his children, and his research team becomes increasingly apparent. He only wants to study and catalogue a taboo topic, and his glaring clarity on the subject subjugates him from his son, who only wants to be seen as normal. His wife and constant companion is all too accommodating with his decisions to experiment, and goes along with everything in a supportive manner. Kinsey only speaks of his subject and that seems to be the extent of his conversational skills, driving him away from human contact, which is the sole way he seems to find pleasure in life. The increasing trials of the House on Un-American Activities Committee, a strain on funds, and a shunning from any scientific field or public interest derails him further. The choice of cast was superb: Liam Neeson, though burdened by an accent he can't misplace, was so stoic and brave in his portrayal, that he completed a vision of a man bridled with his own inequalities and social misgivings. Linney provides another role of a woman with a lot on her mind, but little in the way of showing it. The choice to include great character actors such as Timothy Hutton, Dylan Baker, and Oliver Platt really pulled everything together, since each took their role to heart and fleshed out their characters. It was interesting look into American repression during the fifties, and an examination of whether sex is based on love, pleasure, or is in fact a scientific field to be explored without emotional attachment.

• Randy T

  
  The biographical story of Alfred Kinsey, the trail blazing scientist who, in 1948, shocked the world with his sensational book "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male". The film recounts his extraordinary journey from obscurity to notoriety with graphic detail. It's hard to… More
  The biographical story of Alfred Kinsey, the trail blazing scientist who, in 1948, shocked the world with his sensational book "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male". The film recounts his extraordinary journey from obscurity to notoriety with graphic detail. It's hard to overstate Kinsey's impact on American culture. While I agree that his contributions are beyond significant and that his is a story worth telling, I still have far too many inhibitions to be objective in my review of this explicit and controversial movie. Kinsey the film, much like Kinsey the man, is sometimes disturbing but always interesting.

• Anthony L

  
  There?s some great acting in this film, Neeson, Cartwright & Sarsgaard are all very good. Watch out for William Sadler?s part though. I?ve never felt so uneasy watching a film, it makes me shudder just thinking about it!

• Lady D

  
  Depicting the true life events of Alfred Kinsey and his famously publicised sex studies that would cause much debate across America during the 1940?s. Good parts played by Neeson, Linney and O?Donnell and thought in particular the make up envolving the aging of the characters were… More
  Depicting the true life events of Alfred Kinsey and his famously publicised sex studies that would cause much debate across America during the 1940?s. Good parts played by Neeson, Linney and O?Donnell and thought in particular the make up envolving the aging of the characters were done particularly well. A tale with perhaps an underlying moral, that was quite a controversial story of it?s time.

• Jens S

  
  This biopic tells the story of Alfred Kinsey who revolutionized people's views on human sexuality with his surveys and books. The film follows his studies and his personal life quite closely but not without a certain neutral distance. The cast is full of great names, all… More
  This biopic tells the story of Alfred Kinsey who revolutionized people's views on human sexuality with his surveys and books. The film follows his studies and his personal life quite closely but not without a certain neutral distance. The cast is full of great names, all delivering excellent performances in a script full of humor and humanity. Entertaining and interesting even for people not familiar with his work, in short: just the way a biography should be like.

• Alice S

  
  Not just great dialogue delivery but nuanced silent LOOKS. Missing a star because (and I normally don't judge a movie based on how I feel about a character but seeing as this is a biopic on a real person, please indulge me) of Kinsey's hypocrisy toward the… More
  Not just great dialogue delivery but nuanced silent LOOKS. Missing a star because (and I normally don't judge a movie based on how I feel about a character but seeing as this is a biopic on a real person, please indulge me) of Kinsey's hypocrisy toward the "prudery" of his own son and subsets of the population. His intolerance for opinions less liberated than his own negates the true freethinking philosophy. Assuming that this facet was rigorously researched and not just written in for irony...

• Mike S

  
  As a very liberal person, living in a very liberal country, I sure enjoyed the story of this film. It's main theme, revolving around human sexuality and one man's quest to research and and revolutionize said field with the help of science, was very intriguing indeed,… More
  As a very liberal person, living in a very liberal country, I sure enjoyed the story of this film. It's main theme, revolving around human sexuality and one man's quest to research and and revolutionize said field with the help of science, was very intriguing indeed, especially as the story is based on real events. Great performance as well by Liam Neeson and the supporting cast.

• Ross C

  
  Fabulous portrait of an obsessed scientist, spanning the career of real-life Professor Kinsey, the pioneering "sex doctor".

• Tim S

  
  Neeson and Scarsgard are great.

• Gordon A

  
  Intelligent biopic which cleverly captures the crusade of one scientist to bring some rationality into the world of sex. Liam Neeson is stunning as the driven protagonist but is matched scene for scene by the ever reliable Laura Linney. Illustrates better than any film I've seen… More
  Intelligent biopic which cleverly captures the crusade of one scientist to bring some rationality into the world of sex. Liam Neeson is stunning as the driven protagonist but is matched scene for scene by the ever reliable Laura Linney. Illustrates better than any film I've seen the struggle of scientific rationale to overcome societal superstition and suspicion.

• Lanning :

  
  How could you botch a movie with solid-gold subject matter like this? Neeson once threatened to retire from making movies. Then he did THE HAUNTING . . . Nuff said.

• Mike N

  
  These are some of the last movements I will make before 2004 cuts itself off from the future. This must be the time of the year when you arch your pen just above the paper to make that final punctuation mark. It's a quick motion, relatively speaking of course. How fresh off our… More
  These are some of the last movements I will make before 2004 cuts itself off from the future. This must be the time of the year when you arch your pen just above the paper to make that final punctuation mark. It's a quick motion, relatively speaking of course. How fresh off our final written letter were we? Our last word? Are we satisfied with this last sentence? Chapter? Is the pen descending back to the page now? How close are we to going back down? How close? *holds index finger & thumb mere milliimeters apart* [i]That[/i] close, baby. I wish you all a safe & marvelous New Year's! :) God Bless. [img]http://www.silverwhistle.co.uk/songs/music/AuldLang.GIF[/img]

• Jeffrey M

  
  Many regard Kinsey as a disturbed individual, and have criticized the film for its' overly positive representation of him, when in actuality many of his findings or theories are still dubious today. I can see where they're coming from. But as an overall film, it pretty much… More
  Many regard Kinsey as a disturbed individual, and have criticized the film for its' overly positive representation of him, when in actuality many of his findings or theories are still dubious today. I can see where they're coming from. But as an overall film, it pretty much works. Liam Neeson is fantastic on playing Kinsey as an obsessed, passionate, and oddly disconnected man. Though the movie did sometimes feel clunky or slow, it managed to hit on the major points one would expect, and did so effectively. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Kinsey and and his wife, which I thought was very well done. The dynamics of his coworkers, however, were not as effective, with some characters being underwritten.

• Andrew F

  
  No doubt a good movie, but it felt a little uneven. What would this have been like as a comedy? I see potential there.

• Alec B

  
  Its probably one of the greatest biopics ever made, specifically because it avoids a lot of the cliche's associated with them. The film allows any serious moral judgment on Kinsey's work up to the viewer. Bill Condon shows what was great about his work and the things that… More
  Its probably one of the greatest biopics ever made, specifically because it avoids a lot of the cliche's associated with them. The film allows any serious moral judgment on Kinsey's work up to the viewer. Bill Condon shows what was great about his work and the things that were highly questionable in equal amounts. Its one of Liam Neeson's best performances and as usual Laura Linney is amazing. Its terribly underrated in my opinion.

• Joey N

  
  Intensely interesting, Kinsey is the biography of the man who cast a whole new perspective on sexuality. The film is both enlightening with respect to the man and his subject. It doesn't shy away from the darkness of the material, and it doesn't bother with any pretext… More
  Intensely interesting, Kinsey is the biography of the man who cast a whole new perspective on sexuality. The film is both enlightening with respect to the man and his subject. It doesn't shy away from the darkness of the material, and it doesn't bother with any pretext that Kinsey was a saint. He gives little regard to any potential meaning sex can have-instead of focusing purely on socially surpressed sexual activity. There's a tricky, ultimately successful scene where he interviews a guy who masturbates (and ejaculates in 10 seconds O_O ) that I found very disturbing. And it wasn't even because of the sudden, public masterbation. *shivers* This is a solid 4 star film.

• Daniel P

  
  Fascinating biopic of university researcher Arthur Kinsey, who for much of his adult life, documented the sexual histories of men and women. Kinsey's revolutionary research showed that sexual acts such as masturbation and oral sex, as well as homosexuality and bisexuality,… More
  Fascinating biopic of university researcher Arthur Kinsey, who for much of his adult life, documented the sexual histories of men and women. Kinsey's revolutionary research showed that sexual acts such as masturbation and oral sex, as well as homosexuality and bisexuality, previously considered 'perverse' or 'deviant' (or even harmful), were in fact far more common than thought, . <p>Ahead of his time in a sexually repressed society where the majority considered, or were thought to consider, that only marital sex (primarily for purposes of reproduction) could be considered moral, the film <i>Kinsey</i> shows how his research opened people up to talk about and explore their own sexuality, but also shows a fundamentally flawed (and real) person. Kinsey's initial belief that sexual urges should be explored and should not be connected to feelings of emotional attachment, or love, does not hold up; when he explores a same sex relationship with Clyde (a nicely subtle performance from Peter Sarsgaard) which he then confesses to his wife Clara (Laura Linney), it appears he doesn't understand why it hurts her feelings - it's just sex afterall. Only later, when he overhears Clyde confess to Clara that he is becoming disinterested in the sexual relationship, does it register to Kinsey what his wife had meant, as very briefly, we see that Kinsey is also hurt. It's a telling moment, and very well acted. <p>Later, the film shows Kinsey's rise and inevitable fall, and though he never fully recovers from the backlash, his ever understanding wife sticks by him - the overriding message seems to be that love is what matters most. <p><i>Kinsey</i> is not without its faults - the ageing makeup is unconvincing and it doesn't really feel that 15 years worth of research elapses. The sequence involving superimposed talking heads on a map of the States goes on for too long, and some of the supporting characters don't have enough depth or screen time to care about. But overall, this film, shot in just 37 days, is excellent and sensitively handled.

• Marcus W

  
  Neeson does a fine job in this biopic of a man who was unafraid to examine sexuality and the practises thereof, long before it was acceptable to do so. And if you're uncomfortable hearing words like cunt, penis, vagina, fucking and zoophilia...you definitely need to see this… More
  Neeson does a fine job in this biopic of a man who was unafraid to examine sexuality and the practises thereof, long before it was acceptable to do so. And if you're uncomfortable hearing words like cunt, penis, vagina, fucking and zoophilia...you definitely need to see this film.

• Sunil J

  
  Alfred Kinsey is a pretty fascinating guy and this movie does a great job of keeping it interesting.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings