The Sessions

[baumer]

Discuss

[acsc1312]

Loved it. Such a touching, out of the ordinary film. Hawkes is absolutely fantastic, and Hunt is great as well. What I loved is that even though there's full frontal nudity, it is never out of taste or gratuitous. One of the better films I've seen this year, and it's in my current top 5 before the big Oscar season hits. Please see this movie.A

[JackO]

The Sessions is about a poet named Mark (John Hawkes) crippled by polio stuck in an iron lung who tries to find a way to have sex for the first time.I did not expect this film to be funny but it really was. Mostly since John Hawkes' character did not take himself seriously. Usually in these type of films, there is a lot of melodrama about how the person afflicted with the condition has to slog through life in such a difficult way.But this separate itself since it plays on viewers judgement of the situation. Mark, when he is not in a gurney is stuck in an iron lung. It is as RDJ cleverly explained in Tropic Thunder as the "full retard" route. This helps because they show real life footage of the that the character is based on but it is still pretty strange on screen.Anyways, I felt that without the humor that the film kind of lost it's way since the relationships never built up to anything. They were just there and then not there. Every time Mark got close something bad would happen and he would be right back to daydreaming in the iron lung. I get that this was based on a real life person but a little creative imagination may have raised the stakes higher.Hawkes knocks the role out of the park with great quips and philosophical thoughts. And boy, the physical transformation is on par with Christian Bale and Machinist territory or DDL in My Left Foot.I thought Helen Hunt was pretty good in her role too, trying to balance being a sex surrogate with her family. I think it could have used more of a look at her family though. However, she had a very good conflicted character and should be nominated.Anyways, I thought this film had some unexpected laugh about difficult circumstances, much like 50/50, but unlike that movie there was no payoff for the journey so I gotta only rate it a B.

[Kvikk Lunsj]

Loved it. One of the years best films. The film is touching, romantic, real, funny, and beautiful. John Hawkes gives a fanatic performance and was robbed of Oscar nomination. Like acsc the nudity are done beautiful and do not feel weird.  I started to tear up in the end. It is a shame that this was not nominated for Best Picture since this a film I think a lot people would have enjoyed. Please go and rent now since out on DVD.

9/10

[Jack Nevada]

I think its a perfectly fine little drama, with all around good performances from Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Moon Bloodgood and especially the fantastic John Hawkes, who convincingly plays this likable, kinda nerdy disabled guy, making him into one of the best movie characters of last year. Hawkes really is terrific in The Sessions, and he deserved the praise he got.

 

The movie itself, while amusing and warm, felt really slight to me. Its too short, and its just not very memorable or compelling to watch.

I didn't feel like I wasted me my time, but outside the great performances there's really not much here. I did appreciate how matter-of-factly the sex was portrayed. The sex scenes were painful, frank and in the end joyous, but never erotic.

 

3/5

[CoolioD1]

Yawn. The most flaccid movie about sex I've ever seen. It's a fine acting exercise for John Hawkes, but not much else.

[Goffe]

one of those movies that the acting alone is enough to make you appreciate it. A- (85)

[mattmav45]

I thought this was a film that suffered from a slow first half and then transcended into a touching and at times funny drama.

 

John Hawkes and Helen Hunt are both strong here in filling their characters' roles and acquiring the essential chemistry that is not near as easy as they make it look.  Sometimes there's nothing like two characters just sitting in bed and opening up to each other.  The drama here is very organic and tends to flow quite smoothly.  In the end, this is the type of film that uses low-key and subtle moments that add up to a greater whole.

 

I will say a downside is it's almost too light for its own good.  At the absolute least, this film is an easy pick for good acting, naturalistic drama, and a positive mood after viewing.