My Awkward Sexual Adventure (Sean Garrity, 2012): Canada

Reviewed by Jacob Dekker.  Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2013.

The story of My Awkward Sexual Adventure written by the star of the film, Jonas Chernick, is exactly as it sounds.  Canadian filmmakers Sean Garrity and Jonas Chernick set out to make a smart and raunchy comedy and with some awards under their belt it is safe to say that they succeeded in every sense of the word.

The title says it all.  This film is about an accountant’s awkward sexual adventure.  Rachel played by Sarah Manninen dumps our shy and insecure protagonist, because he is boring in bed.  One thing leads to another and Jordan finds himself stumbling into a strip club where he meets a dancer named Julia (Emily Hampshire) who, after some convincing, agrees to be Jordan’s ‘Sex Yoda’.  Through some cleverly written dialogue and hilarious situations Julia teaches Jordan how to be more exciting in bed.

While this may sound like a by-the-numbers comedy it does have something genuine to offer to the genre.  The characters are all trying to overcome their own issues in a very real and believable way, and the mise-en-scene and cinematography help the characters pop out of the screen.  Similar to other independent, romantic comedies, like 500 Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009) or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michael Gondry, 2004), watching these characters transform and seeing how it is reflected in the mise-en-scene is an absolute treat.  Jordan, as he starts to become more comfortable with sex, ditches the button up shirt and tie for for more colorful and casual clothes.  As Julia gets her life more organized her apartment and attire reflects her transformation.  The succinct and rhythm of the editing does a great job complimenting the various jokes and situations that our characters find themselves in.

While this film does hit on a lot of the right notes, at times I did feel as though some of the jokes were forced or taken a bit too far.  There are somethings that I would have preferred not to see, but these instances do not hurt from the overall film.  Being a romantic comedy the plot is also pretty predictable.  While the comedic value keeps it fresh and interesting, don’t expect My Awkward Sexual Adventure to stray too much from the conventions of the genre.

With that said, this is not a film to miss.  Sean Garrity and Jonas Chernick have crafted a raunchy, laugh-out-loud  comedy that is worth the time and the money.