BWW Reviews: Diaz, Segel are Funny & Sexy in Overly-Sanitized SEX TAPE

Let's be clear, no movie about two parents making a sex tape to get out of their marital rut can ever be described as family-friendly (especially this one), but SEX TAPE, from director Jake Kasdan, feels like a sanitized attempt to recreate the over-the-top raunchy humor of THE HANGOVER, BRIDESMAIDS, and HORRIBLE BOSSES. Despite its slightly restrained feel, the movie, mainly on the likeability of stars Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel, manages to be entertaining and diverting, despite not being all that memorable. It feels like Kasdan is trying to delicately straddle the line between gross-out comedy and rom-com. Unfortunately, that indecision robs the film of its teeth... unless you like that sort of thing.

Diaz, who plays parenting blogger Annie, opens the movie typing an entry that lays out the movie's central premise. Annie and her husband Jay (Segel) used to have sex a lot. We know that, because Diaz says the word "sex" a lot, almost preparing us for what lies ahead. However, as the cliché goes, they had two kids and their sex life dried up. Now, on the verge of having her blog purchased by a large family-friendly corporation, run by the exceptionally conservative Hank (Rob Lowe), the couple decides to celebrate by filming themselves recreating their former glory. However, a mix-up with auto-syncing iPads makes their night of passion available to friends and family.

The rest of the movie is dedicated to the couple attempting to get the iPads back before anyone notices the video. Despite it playing out in familiar structure, Diaz and Segel are able to provide a number of genuinely funny moments. From pre-sex high fives to run-ins with attack dogs, there is more than enough to keep you laughing for the film's 100 minute running time, not to mention the ample amount of skin shown. The next day, you might find yourself struggling to remember the movie's funnier moments, but while you're sitting in the theater, it is a solid piece of distracting summer fun.

However, despite that escapist quality, you are left wishing that Segel, and co-script writers Kate Angelo and Nicholas Stoller, had fully committed to the film's salacious conceit. SEX TAPE has the story and the DNA to be a worthy successor to the recent rash of racy comedies. However, you can never shake the feeling that those behind the camera are hesitant to embrace this banner, and instead are trying to hedge their bets and appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. It seems like Segel and, especially, Diaz are game for whatever they are asked to do, a fact that makes SEX TAPE's middling approach even more disappointing.

As with many of the entries in the over-the-top comedy genre, there are extremely strong supporting performances, and perhaps a surprising cameo as well. Rob Corddry (HOT TUB TIME MACHINE) and Ellie Kemper (THE OFFICE) are Jay and Annie's best friends who have family issues of their own, and Lowe shakes his typical buttoned-up persona and plays a man hiding his own, extremely funny, inner-demons.

Overall, I don't think anyone is going to be upset that they saw Segel and Diaz's SEX TAPE, but I'm not sure that it has as enough money shots to warrant multiple viewings; at least not until the deleted scenes come out on DVD.

Check out the trailer for SEX TAPE starring Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper and Rob Lowe:

SEX TAPE is in theaters nationwide and is Rated R for "for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use."

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