One thing about “Young People Fucking” that I detested was that it’s really just pseudo mumblecore, when all is said and done. And if there’s one thing I hate it’s mumblecore. I hear enough people blathering on about nonsense day in and day out, I would actually like dialogue with purpose in films. “Young People Fucking” is pseudo mumblecore that really explores the plight of the young hot blond sexy folks of California. Oh no, they’re a dying breed, aren’t they?
One of them is Diora Baird, so it’s not a complete waste of time, but what this entire film is is just a sitcom. It’s a sitcom about people bitching about how they have too much sex. Or not enough. Or too little. Whatever the hell, you have to wonder if anyone here has real problems. Granted, it’s a cute and occasionally clever bit of romance dramedy, “Young People Fucking” really doesn’t do much with the material it’s given, often opting for little to not dramatic tension and a lot of whining about sex. It’s just a non-stop even flow of whining from people who have nothing to whine about. They likely have great careers, live in huge houses, and still aren’t happy with themselves. One of my favorite aspects of “Young People Fucking” is that deep down it’s a cynical movie with a mean spirit at hand.
The sub-plot with Diora Baird as Jamie trying to sleep with predator Ken is one of my favorite scenarios because it is frankly very steeped in Neil Labute’s arena of cynicism and pure nihilism. Jamie comes off as a busty ditzy airhead who spends most of her time trying to evade Ken’s allure, but when we meet the real Jamie in the final half, we see that sometimes the player can get played. Sometimes the player will eventually get played. And it stings. Baird plays it cool as the character Jamie, the wolf with two sides to her whose own reveal is a shocker to say the least. There’s also Andrew and his wife who engage in anal sex that basically reverts in to anal rape as his wife becomes much more excited throughout the motion of their love making.
If it’s a guy does it really count as rape when he asks his mate to stop and they don’t? I also really loved the sub-plot with silent roommate Dave who is asked to have sex with his obnoxious roommate Gord’s girlfriend for kicks and Gord soon discovers she may be having more fun with Dave than she ever did with Gord. “Young People Fucking” has at least a message about the fragile nature of love making and sexual relationships, and for what it promises, it can occasionally be an entertaining and clever little situation comedy. Director Martin Gero chronicles one night in the lives of a group of people in various stages of their relationships, and studies the effects of different phases no said relationships.
Through this there are romantic dances, failed attempts at threesomes, and a long meeting between two co-workers, one of whom may be pulling a fast one on her gigalo superior. Gero at least seems to be going somewhere with this series of prat falls and sexual mishaps, but at ninety minutes, there isn’t much incentive to continue watching the sexual escapades of these individuals and find out where it’s headed. I mean, is there anything really harrowing or trying at hand, here? While it’s steeped much too heavily in the mumble core genre, it does possess something of a clever nod to Neil Labute before he sank to the mainstream and for that it deserves some old fashioned loving.
And seriously, it’s ridiculous how sexy Diora Baird is.