What is your opinion of movies like Bad Moms?

[Patavium]

Uh, what?

Sex is one of the most complex, emotionally fraught, psychologically consequential things humans do. You don’t think that you could convey something about a character in that context?

Ok what could a sex scene convey about a character such that it advances the plot of a film?

 

[randomuser]

Ok, let us know how a sex scene advances the plot in a film

Ted 2. Wasn’t that the plot, that Ted was going to be a daddy?

 

[Patavium]

Ted 2. Wasn’t that the plot, that Ted was going to be a daddy?

I don’t know anything about Ted 2, but is it necessary to show a sex scene to convey that Ted was going to be daddy? How did films in the 50s do it? many different ways to convey this message.

 

[Yogi89]

I don’t know anything about Ted 2, but is it necessary to show a sex scene to convey that Ted was going to be daddy? How did films in the 50s do it? many different ways to convey this message.

I agree.

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

I don’t know anything about Ted 2, but is it necessary to show a sex scene to convey that Ted was going to be daddy? How did films in the 50s do it? many different ways to convey this message.

I don’t think we can really talk about “necessary” when we’re talking about art. I mean, yes, technically, they could simply tell you whatever they wanted you to absorb via text on the screen. i.e “THIS CHARACTER IS AFRAID OF INTIMACY.”

You have to give a certain amount of artistic license.

I expect this is all going to come down to the basic problem that we just disagree on the moral gravity of an exposed breast or a shot of a butt.

Ok what could a sex scene convey about a character such that it advances the plot of a film?

Literally almost anything. Off of the top of my head, say you have a sex scene in between a husband and wife. The wife looks detached and distracted throughout. The audience might reasonably infer that the wife feels alienated from her husband, and that their marriage is in a rut.

Keep in mind, when I say sex scene, I’m not referring to an actual pornographic scene. I’m not talking about showing a close up of actual vaginal penetration or anything.

 

[Patavium]

I don’t think we can really talk about “necessary” when we’re talking about art. I mean, yes, technically, they could simply tell you whatever they wanted you to absorb via text on the screen. i.e “THIS CHARACTER IS AFRAID OF INTIMACY.”

You have to give a certain amount of artistic license.

I expect this is all going to come down to the basic problem that we just disagree on the moral gravity of an exposed breast or a shot of a butt.

Literally almost anything. Off of the top of my head, say you have a sex scene in between a husband and wife. The wife looks detached and distracted throughout. The audience might reasonably infer that the wife feels alienated from her husband, and that their marriage is in a rut.

Keep in mind, when I say sex scene, I’m not referring to an actual pornographic scene. I’m not talking about showing a close up of actual vaginal penetration or anything.

Ok, so it’s all about artistic license.

I don’t think anyone is talking about the textual form of conveying information (although successful for Star Wars). Perhaps euphemistic ways that imply it without a simulated sex scene like it was done (50?) years ago.

There are other ways to provide this dynamic between a husband and a wife without having a simulated sex scene, where likely the focus of the audience will be in looking at the act and the naked flesh of the actor and actress.

Sure, nobody is talking about showing of the genitals in a sex scene of a film, but keep in mind that a simulated sex scene without showing genitals except for breasts is still pornography.

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

but keep in mind that a simulated sex scene without showing genitals except for breasts is still pornography.

You keep saying this but I don’t agree. Is the Venus de Milo pornographic? It depicts bare breasts, but I think 99.9% of people would say no. Is a Playboy photoshoot showing a topless model pornographic? 99.9% of people would say yes. Why different answers? After all, both show topless women.

It’s not a hard and fast rule that exposed flesh = pornographic. You need context, you need to understand what the artist was trying to do, etc.

 

[pensmama87]

Actually, what first came to mind for me was a scene from A Beautiful Mind (2001). It’s far from graphic, but the wife of the main character reaches over and begins touching her husband. He refuses her and rolls over. She asks, “Is it the medication?” (He’s on psychiatric medication because of persistent hallucinations.) She then gets up and goes into the bathroom, throws and breaks a glass, and screams.

It’s not a sexy scene. The characters are clothed the whole time, and it’s meant to demonstrate just how frustrating and agonizing this situation has become. This scene also serves as the breaking point for the protagonist - he quits taking the medication, because he can’t stand how it hurts his wife.

Is the scene intimate? Yes, but not pornographic.

 

[Patavium]

Actually, what first came to mind for me was a scene from A Beautiful Mind (2001). It’s far from graphic, but the wife of the main character reaches over and begins touching her husband. He refuses her and rolls over. She asks, “Is it the medication?” (He’s on psychiatric medication because of persistent hallucinations.) She then gets up and goes into the bathroom, throws and breaks a glass, and screams.

It’s not a sexy scene. The characters are clothed the whole time, and it’s meant to demonstrate just how frustrating and agonizing this situation has become. This scene also serves as the breaking point for the protagonist - he quits taking the medication, because he can’t stand how it hurts his wife.

Is the scene intimate? Yes, but not pornographic.

Doesn’t sound like simulated sex scenes, we are talking about…

But it does sound like euphemism scenes similar to those back in the 50s!

EDITED: I found the description of the scene here: kids-in-mind.com/b/beautiful_mind_2001.htm and it is far from appropriate. The same could have been conveyed with much less.

You can convey the message without simulating sex, indeed.

 

[Patavium]

You keep saying this but I don’t agree. Is the Venus de Milo pornographic? It depicts bare breasts, but I think 99.9% of people would say no. Is a Playboy photoshoot showing a topless model pornographic? 99.9% of people would say yes. Why different answers? After all, both show topless women.

It’s not a hard and fast rule that exposed flesh = pornographic. You need context, you need to understand what the artist was trying to do, etc.

Sure, the intent of the artist.

So having a topless actress ride a an actor with a dissatisfied expression is her face is supposed to convey to us something about the character

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

Sure, the intent of the artist.

So having a topless actress ride a an actor with a dissatisfied expression is her face is supposed to convey to us something about the character

Yes. It could. At least, I think so. I may not be able to convince you of that.

Like I said, sex is an incredibly complex and emotionally intricate part of the human psyche and experience. I’m not sure why you think it’s so ridiculous that it could be meaningful in the context of telling a story. You keep reducing it to the actual physical motions when you talk about “riding” and “thrusting.” You can make anything sound mundane and boring if you talk about it that way. An actor giving a great monologue is just “inflecting his voice and making facial expressions. ”

 

[Elena321]

In my view,sometimes sexual talk or sexual scenes may be necessary in a movie to convey that characters emotions or experiences, however, in reality they are probably seldom used that way and are often gratuitous.

For example,if there was a movie about a man with Traumatic Brain Injury or Dementia I would see no issue if the character said “out of place” sexual remarks to women like “nice boobs” or whatever and/or trying to touch random women sexually in the street etc as there would be context for this in the film.

Sometimes I have watched old movies and I don’t know if I would particularly find them moral always either.
While nudity in movies was rarer in the 50’s, a lot feature women “super sexified” like Marilyn Monroe films and have themes about marrying wealthy guys or marriage affairs etc-hardly moral stuff.
Although there were moral ones like Sound of Music too.