Sex Appeal is a 2022 American teen sex comedy film directed by Talia Osteen (in her feature-length directorial debut) and written by Tate Hanyok. The film stars Mika Abdalla, Jake Short, Margaret Cho, Paris Jackson and Fortune Feimster.
Sex Appeal | |
---|---|
![]() Release poster | |
Directed by | Talia Osteen |
Written by | Tate Hanyok |
Produced by |
|
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Sherri Kauk |
Edited by | Gennady Fridman |
Music by | Jeffrey Brodsky |
Production company | American High |
Distributed by | Hulu |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Premise
editAvery Hansen-White holds herself back from doing things she's not excellent at. So when her long-distance boyfriend seems to want to take their relationship to the next level at the upcoming STEM conference ("nerd prom"), she resolves to master her sexuality. Avery starts studying the mechanics of love and realizes that relationships involve less science and more heart.
Cast
edit- Mika Abdalla as Avery
- Jake Short as Larson
- Margaret Cho as Ma Deb
- Fortune Feimster as Mama Suze
- Rebecca Henderson as Ma Kim
- Paris Jackson as Danica McCollum
- Mason Versaw as Casper
- Artemis Pebdani as Ms. Carlson
- Daniela Nieves as Lyssa
- Joshua Colley as Tristan
Production
editIn March 2021, it was revealed that American High was developing a teen comedy film for Hulu called Sex Appeal, with Mika Abdalla and Jake Short set to star.[1][2] The same month, it was reported that Talia Osteen would direct the film in her directorial debut for Hulu, while Tate Hanyok would serve as the screenwriter and one of the executive producers.[3][4] In April 2021, Margaret Cho, Paris Jackson, Rebecca Henderson, and Skai Jackson were announced to star in the film.[5][6] Filming took place in and around Syracuse, New York, including at Syracuse Studios, in the village of Liverpool, and Onondaga Lake Park.[7]
Release
editThe film was released on January 14, 2022 on Hulu.[8] Internationally, the movie became available through Disney+ starting on April 8, 2022.[9][10] In Latin America, the film was released as a Star+ original on March 18, 2022.[11]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.90/10.[12]
Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media gave the film a grade of three out of five stars and praised the positive message of the movie on romantic relationships, while complimenting the diversity of the cast.[13] Aurora Amidon of Paste rated the movie 5,8 out of 10, praised how the movie approaches the loss of virginity with humor, but found the lack of knowledge of sex of Mika Abdalla's character nonsensical due to her mastery on science and the presence of her sex-positive parents.[14]
Ferdosa of Screen Rant rated the film two out of five stars, complimented that the movie manages to deliver a positive take on sexual relationships, while praising the performance of Abdalla, but stated that the film does not develop the characters enough through their dialogues compared to other teen sex comedy movies.[15]
References
edit- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (March 4, 2021). "Mika Abdalla, Jake Short To Star In Teen Comedy 'Sex Appeal' From American High & Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Film and TV Projects Going Into Production - Sex Appeal". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 4, 2021). "Teen Comedy 'Sex Appeal' in the Works at Hulu". Variety. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "'Sex Appeal' Trailer Reveals a Studious Experiment in Love and Relationships". Collider. January 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Murray, Rebecca (April 5, 2021). "Paris Jackson Joins the Cast of Hulu's 'Sex Appeal' Teen Comedy". Showbiz Junkies. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (April 5, 2021). "'Sex Appeal': Margaret Cho, Skai Jackson, Paris Jackson & More Join Hulu Comedy From American High". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ Herbert, Geoff (January 5, 2022). "'Sex Appeal' review: New movie shot in Syracuse is funny, refreshing lesson in sex and love". Syracuse.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Ushe, Naledi (January 14, 2022). "Sex Appeal Stars Mika Abdalla and Jake Short Talk Normalizing Conversations About Sex". PopSugar. Archived from the original on August 5, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Baker, Emily (March 29, 2022). "All the new TV shows, documentaries and films coming to Disney+ in April". i. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Power, Tom (March 26, 2022). "Every movie and TV show coming to Disney Plus in April 2022". TechRadar. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Star+: "Sex Appeal" llega a Star+". El Informador (in Mexican Spanish). March 18, 2022. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ "Sex Appeal". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ Green, Jennifer. "Sex Appeal Movie Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Amidon, Aurora (January 11, 2022). "A Lack of Nuance Makes Sex Appeal an Unappealing Teen Sex Comedy". Paste. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
- ^ Ferdosa (January 15, 2022). "Sex Appeal Review: Hulu's New Teen Comedy Can't Compare To Sex Education". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 30, 2022. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
External links
edit- Official website at Hulu
- Sex Appeal at IMDb