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ALT.SEX
Produced by Dan Bridges and Eric Bickernicks
Written, Directed, Photographed by Eric BickernicksJohn - John MacLeod
Irene - Lauren Verge
Rob - Darby Duffin
Geoff - Geoff Bridges
Melissa - Cara O'SheaComputer geeks can get laid! So much for all the teasing in high school, I guess those guys really will have the last laugh and end up with all the hotties. That's the biggest joke in ALT.SEX (that's alt-dot-sex for the computer illiterate), a mild-mannered sex comedy from director Eric Bickernicks where he shows that true love can be found on the other side of a WAN connection.
Personally, I've never bought into on-line romance. Tried it once; some gal sent me a few shirts, said she thought she was "in love", and basically scared the piss out of me. I guess I would rather buy into being safe and single rather than today's single scene where a harmless invite to meet leads to stalkers and abductions.
Computer personals at Yahoo. Searchable databases of singles in your area. Dating services that rob you blind while promising to find your perfect match. All that nonsense just bothers me. So much effort is put in, but the end result is left to chance. What if there's a bug in the system? You could end up with Big Alice, an ex-con sent up the river for bare-knuckle brawling and is now looking to settle down with men sporting biceps half the size of her's.
No way! Forget it! There's no way you can convince me that my perfect match can be found by any other means than old-fasioned leg work (ie. bar hopping). I would rather put my hopes in myself over someone else's knowledge at coding C++ anyday.
From the way ALT.SEX unfolds, it doesn't look like Bickernicks agrees with me. The story follows John, a mid-thirties computer jockey whose love life is mired in technology. His evenings are filled with safety-first chatroom interaction and his days are spent listening to other computer jockeys prattle on about their own love lives, or lack there of.
Technology is the bane of poor John's sexual frustrations. His girl leaves him after her video fetish reveals the lengths she's willing to go without him. Online personal column ramblings come without any distinction between sarcasm and retardation. Faulty data just might have you ending up with Big Alice: Bruiser Behind Bars. Conjoined twins are the devil's computerized playthings. With every failure, John becomes more determined to find success. You have to admire his chin-up sense of courage.
While the jokes are solid, flowing with an OFFICE SPACE meets 16 CANDLES vibe, the movie as a whole lacks a clear-cut point of view. The movie is told sweetly and honestly, without any dark ironies or lowbrow moments of gratuitous shock. It's satire with whit, not bite.
Comedy comes from pain that we can all relate to. It plays upon our fears and self doubts knowing that at some point in our lives we've been in similar situations, or at least can see things in the same light.
I was able to stick with Bickernicks up till the end, where our views differ. He presents an ending of hope that undercuts the hopelessness and mocking attitude of the prior 85 minutes. The final scene is such a radical shift that it alters the apparent perspective of everything that's come before. It's the reason I'm having trouble figuring out which side Bickernicks is on, pro computer dating or con.
Bickernicks is a good storyteller with a strong sense of humor and character. He's made a romantic comedy that I'm sure will be embraced by the love lorn and PC savvy everywhere. My fear is that ALT.SEX will just encourage them. Then again, love is like filmmaking in that we should never give up hope.