The Opposite of Sex (1998)

80% of critics liked it
(41 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(15,875 ratings)

Screenwriter Don Roos made his directorial debut with this oddball sex comedy. The tale is narrated by 16-year-old Louisiana tramp Dedee Truitt (Christina Ricci), who buries her stepfather and then heads for Indiana to visit her homosexual half-brother Bill (Martin Donovan). Recovering from the AIDS… More Screenwriter Don Roos made his directorial debut with this oddball sex comedy. The tale is narrated by 16-year-old Louisiana tramp Dedee Truitt (Christina Ricci), who buries her stepfather and then heads for Indiana to visit her homosexual half-brother Bill (Martin Donovan). Recovering from the AIDS death of longtime companion Tom, schoolteacher Bill has linked up with a new partner, handsome Matt (Ivan Sergei). After Dedee seduces Matt and claims she's pregnant by him, the couple steals $10,000 from Bill's safety deposit box and heads for L.A. Alarmed by Matt's seeming disappearance and hoping to blackmail Bill into disclosing Matt's whereabouts, Bill's former student (also Matt's former beau) Jason (Johnny Galecki) accuses Bill of molestation four years previous, a charge that jeopardizes Bill's job as a schoolteacher. To clear his name, Bill, and Tom's sister Lucia (Lisa Kudrow), leave for L.A. to locate Matt and Dedee. Lucia is a repressed old maid who flinches from even the thought of sex, but even so, weird Sheriff Tippett (Lyle Lovett) takes a fancy to her. Meanwhile, questions are raised about the true father of Dedee's baby, and the film comes to a climax with a shooting, a cross-county chase, and the inevitable showdown between the quirky characters. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Don Roos
Written By: Don Roos
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: May 29, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Nov 17, 1998
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
This politically incorrect comedy serves up murder, unwanted pregnancy, and other neuroses, all undercut by the acerbic asides of the Lolita-like protag (acidly played by Christina Ricci).
John Venable, Supercala.com
A few poorly cast actors bring this one down a few notches.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
Hilarious and confident...the couples multiply, couplings turn into triangles, and the year's most unlikely authorities separate love from mere, if avid, pastimes.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...most of the time the film succeeds only in emphasizing the distance between the characters on the screen and the people watching them in the theater.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

The Opposite of Sex works as both a wonderful, if cruel, character study, and a parody of audience expectations. Christina Ricci plays an absolute bitch in this movie. Her life revolves around ruining the lives of others. She doesn't even seem to get that much out of it, her… More
The Opposite of Sex works as both a wonderful, if cruel, character study, and a parody of audience expectations. Christina Ricci plays an absolute bitch in this movie. Her life revolves around ruining the lives of others. She doesn't even seem to get that much out of it, her reward is to cause people pain. Whether that be acting out at a funeral, inviting herself to stay, getting pregnant, or stealing her half-brother's boyfriend. Ricci narrates in a self knowing tone, explaining why we feel sorry for certain characters and not others. This often works comically, especially when building sympathy for her brother, she then shows the clips where he doesn't sit around brooding. On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Martin Donovan. He is so painfully nice you just want him to lash out. He's an absolute joy of a character, bringing a chilled and relaxing counterpart to Ricci's hobag. We also have Kudrow as a woman so scared of her own life she interferes with others. She tells everyone how to live their life, and her journey is one of the sweetest as the film reaches a satisfactory and moving conclusion. This is a film about the power of sex, but also how there are other things out there. The only downsides were that it was sometimes too smart for its own good, and the homophobic and lack of knowledge concerning aids seemed very dated.
moon r

Satirical and biting (altho it lags in a couple of spots) herein is an indepth commentary on relationships, and often the picture is not Hollywood pretty. One of Ricci's best performances (perhaps her best film period) and Kudrow matches her easily blow for blow. A smart film… More
Satirical and biting (altho it lags in a couple of spots) herein is an indepth commentary on relationships, and often the picture is not Hollywood pretty. One of Ricci's best performances (perhaps her best film period) and Kudrow matches her easily blow for blow. A smart film is good to watch.
Jennifer X

Oh my god, I never knew Christina Ricci could be such a stabby bitch. I always wondered what Don Roos would be like without the Hollywood homogenization of Happy Endings, and I guess this is the prefix. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Funny? Yes. Entertaining? At times. But it… More
Oh my god, I never knew Christina Ricci could be such a stabby bitch. I always wondered what Don Roos would be like without the Hollywood homogenization of Happy Endings, and I guess this is the prefix. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Funny? Yes. Entertaining? At times. But it didn't make me think, and it didn't always make sense. I don't really think I'm suited for black comedies anyway.
Alice S

Everything about this film is philosophical, moving, real, and funny, except for the main attraction: Christina Ricci and her plaintive whine. The script breaks down stereotypes of love, lust, gender, sexual orientation. Love isn't always about caring for another; it could be… More
Everything about this film is philosophical, moving, real, and funny, except for the main attraction: Christina Ricci and her plaintive whine. The script breaks down stereotypes of love, lust, gender, sexual orientation. Love isn't always about caring for another; it could be a moral obligation. Lust isn't always about fucking; it could be as Lyle Lovett's sad-sack says, "Say it's concentration. Say it's supposed to focus your attention on the person you're sleeping with, like biological highlighter. Look for me first in any crowded room. And I'll do likewise." Dede's narrator character seems to be the storyteller necessary to reveal all these other characters' stories. There's no rhyme or reason to her manipulations. Her redemption moment is nice, but the audience is never truly aware of her original impetus for seducing her half-brother's boyfriend.
Red L

An OK movie. Strange cast of actors - Christina Ricci, Lisa Kudrow, Lyle Lovett, etc. Christina's role uses sex to get what she wants, and she doesn't seem too picky with who. She sure turns everybody's life upsidedown. Will she grow up a little too?
Dean M

This audacious skewering of straight and gay relationships, dysfunctional families, and manipulative movie conventions is wickedly funny for half its run and then gradually withers.
Gordon A

Intelligent script with many great one liners is marred somewhat by an intrusive knowingly post modern voiceover. Lisa Kudrow gets all the best lines as a cynical teacher.
Leigh R

Man... Christina is awesome in this.
Fascade F

This was a crazy romp played out in the mind and narration of a 16 ("Sex-teen'?) year old. How far can a "juvie" play the minds and souls of 5 adults? See this to see how far over the bar of sexual preferances she goes!!! It's a CRAZY classic!
Curt C

"A 16-year-old girl visits her gay half-brother and ends up seducing his boyfriend, thus wreaking havoc on all of their lives". Christina Ricci stars as said delinquent and narrator, who manages to play the role well enough that I still hated her by the end of the film, yet… More
"A 16-year-old girl visits her gay half-brother and ends up seducing his boyfriend, thus wreaking havoc on all of their lives". Christina Ricci stars as said delinquent and narrator, who manages to play the role well enough that I still hated her by the end of the film, yet believed she was redeemable. Everybody starts out happy (well, mostly happy) and ends up spending most of the movie in misery. I wouldn't say there were morals here, but there certainly were adult issues and ideas about sex, which is refreshing for a film to take seriously. I found it failed as a comedy, however. Surprising highlight: Lisa Kudrow as the sister-in-law who always seems frustrated about, well, everything.
Joey N

What sets it apart is the Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang-esque narration that is mostly there to make us forgive the cliches, but it does so entertaingly and with a funny edge. Lisa Kudrow has many priceless moments, but that doesn't surprise me at all. Friends, anyone?
Doctor S

Original little kooky comedy-drama, Ricci's sarcastic voiceovers are a highlight.
Sunil J

Crazy sexual energy and some really strong acting.
Marcus W

A brilliant black comedy lead by Christina Ricci, here playing a character with plenty of spunk - in every sense of the word, yet smart and tough with it. It's really her film and everything else revolves around what she does as she screws with not only the other characters but… More
A brilliant black comedy lead by Christina Ricci, here playing a character with plenty of spunk - in every sense of the word, yet smart and tough with it. It's really her film and everything else revolves around what she does as she screws with not only the other characters but (brilliantly) the audience as well. Very worth watching.
Quinto W

Christina Ricci is devilishly sexy, manipulative freak, bitch from hell main character in this as-dark-as-could-be comedy. Lisa Kurow is also one to watch out for.
Anthony V

Great indie flick.