KINSEY
Written and directed by Bill Condon; cinematography by Frederick Elmes; editing by Virginia Katz; original music by Carter Burwell; production design by Richard Sherman; art direction by Nicholas Lundy; set decoration by Andrew Baseman; costume design by Bruce Finlayson
With: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O’Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow, Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, Dylan Baker, Benjamin Walker, Matthew Fahey, Will Denton, Julianne Nicholson, Veronica Cartwright, Kathleen Chalfant, Heather Goldenhersh, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Lynn Redgrave. Rated R for pervasive sexual content, including some graphic images and descriptions. Running time: 118 Minutes



Reviewed by Joel Johnson

“The forces of chastity are massing once again” is a statement made by Liam Neeson’s character, Professor Alfred C. Kinsey in Bill Condon’s terrific film, referring to the gathering opposition to Kinsey’s research into human sexual behavior. The context for the original statement would have been more than fifty years ago at the time of the release of his extensive research volumes Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953). Making a film about this man has shown that “the forces of chastity” are not through with the one-time entomologist who turned his scientific scrutiny to human sexuality. There are some who think Kinsey opened a sexual Pandora’s box, letting loose on society a slew of ills from AIDS, pedophilia, and pornography to homosexuality, promiscuity, and the decline of marriage. Nearly fifty years after his death in 1956, Alfred Kinsey continues to be a controversial figure.

Bill Condon, in creating this exceptional, even-handed film, lets us reevaluate his life, his times and his legacy. Condon escorts us through Kinsey’s life during the first half of the twentieth century to sense how his life was shaped. We meet Kinsey as a young boy (Will Denton), an adolescent (Matthew Fahey), and as a young adult (Benjamin Walker). We meet his mother (Veronica Cartwright) and his father (John Lithgow), a Methodist minister who rails against the technological advances of science that allow greater opportunity for sexual sins. We see him finally rebelling against his tyrannical father, rejecting the career path envisioned for him in order to study biology at Bowdoin College. We meet his incarnation by Liam Neeson, following his doctorate from Harvard and his appointment as a member of the faculty at Indiana University. He teaches biology and researches the gall wasp. It is in his biology class that he first encounters Clara McMillen (Laura Linney). We follow their awkward courtship and see how sexually naive they were when they began their married life together. We meet Kinsey’s fellow faculty member Dr. Thurman Rice (Tim Curry—the cross-dressing Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show) who doles out sexual misinformation and racial prejudice in the guise of a health class. It is directly in response to Professor Rice’s teaching that Kinsey lobbies for the opportunity to provide accurate scientific information to college students through a marriage class.

What Kinsey finds is that there isn’t a lot of accurate scientifically verified information to teach. Very little has been done to bring the scientific method to the study of sex. So begins his voluminous research into sexual behavior and all things sexual. We see him working to establish a “Joe Friday” (Dragnet investigator played on TV by Jack Webb) mentality amongst his staff where they nonjudgmentally gather “nothing but the facts” on the sexual histories of thousands of men and women. He begins by surveying college students but soon widens his search for subjects. He cruises gay bars in Chicago, searching for sexual histories. With the support of Indiana University’s President Herman Wells (Oliver Platt) and the Rockefeller Foundation’s Alan Gregg (Dylan Baker), Kinsey is able to receive funding for more extensive research. He collects sexual histories from people all over the country. He begins to encounter individuals with prodigious claims of sexual contacts or sexual abilities. He starts collecting erotic writings and images. In addition to collecting, he also takes still photographs and makes motion pictures.

This is not a film that simply lauds Professor Kinsey’s tireless efforts to study sexuality. There are consequences to his openness about sexuality. Discussions at the Kinsey family dinner table may shock filmgoers, and we see that they divided his family. It may be disconcerting to hear what some of his subjects do. When does one invoke moral judgments? Does suspending moral judgment and simply reporting the behavior give it acceptance and legitimacy? His curiosity leads him into sexual experimentation. He does things that he confesses to “Mac” (Linney). The delving into all things sexual leads to problems between his staff and their wives. Kinsey’s most loyal assistant Clyde Martin chastises him: “Sex is a risky game, because if you’re not careful, it will cut you wide open.”

Liam Neeson gives a terrific lead performance that integrates the academic’s shy bookishness, his deep compassion, and his relentlessness in pursuing a subject that we all have been trained either not to speak about at all or only with a high degree of circumspection. While Kinsey is clearly a unique individual, Neeson emphasizes not his eccentricity but his normality. Neeson’s performance is the only one that I have seen thus far that offers as strong a portrayal as Jamie Foxx in Ray. Neeson should get his second Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Laura Linney does an excellent job as Kinsey’s loyal helpmeet. She provides an incisive conscience for his work. Linney gives her character an intellect that takes no backseat to her husband’s, and she communicates the pain and joy of being married to this very driven man. Her performance has already gotten her a Golden Globe Supporting Actress nomination and won her the Best Supporting Actress accolade from the National Board of Review. Her performance will continue to be recognized as we move through the awards’ season.

Condon has done a superb job getting solid performances throughout his cast. Peter Sarsgaard has received a Best Supporting Actor Independent Spirit Award nomination, but the entire cast warrants recognition as an ensemble. Several performers such as Tim Curry, Oliver Platt, and Lynn Redgrave have made the most of limited screen time to make their characters memorable. The wives (Julianne Nicholson, Heather Goldenhersh, and Dagmara Dominczyk) of Kinsey’s associates have managed to make us see the strain on their marriages despite just a brief time on-screen. I suspect both Condon’s intelligent script and his influence as director have contributed to this success. Condon is establishing a track record that no doubt will continue to attract outstanding actors. Condon’s Gods and Monsters garnered Oscar nominations for Ian McKellen and Lynn Redgrave as well as getting one of Brendan Fraser’s best dramatic performances.

The true value of this film is that it demands each viewer to think seriously about sexuality—a subject usually exploited for titillation and amusement in television and films. Sexuality truly must be grappled afresh by every generation. Everyone must come to terms with one’s own desires, the desires of one’s partners, and the interests of the wider society. How much can scientific research advance our understanding of sexuality? Does that knowledge make life better? Is sex just a way to have fun? How important is it? How important is love? Bill Condon’s challenging film is entertaining and thought-provoking: “Love is the answer, isn't it? But, sex raises a lot of very interesting questions.”  

 

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