The Opposite of Sex (1998)
74%RT Audience Score: 60%
Awards & Nominations: 14 wins & 24 nominations
The Opposite of Sex smartly lightens a bitter story with sharp insights and strong dialogue – as well as a startlingly mature performance from former child actor Christina Ricci
The Opposite of Sex is like a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with murder, pregnancy, and neuroses all thrown in for good measure. Christina Ricci’s character is like a sassy, acid-tongued Lolita who keeps the audience on their toes. Some critics loved it, some hated it, but one thing’s for sure – it’s definitely not your average rom-com. Just make sure you buckle up before the ride begins!
Production Company(ies)
C J Entertainment, Moho Film Yong Film
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language and sex related dialogue and sexuality
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 45m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 1998 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 1998
Genre(s)
Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Galecki, William Lee Scott, Ivan Sergei, directed by Don Roos, written by Don Roos, LGBTQ+, black comedy, pregnancy, theft, molestation, reputation, sharp dialogue, mature performance, bitter story, critic reviews, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, Susan Stark, Marc Savlov, Ruthe Stein, Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, Joe Lozito, Emanuel Levy, JoBlo, John Venable, Dragan Antulov, Jeanne Aufmuth, box office gross, budget, produced by Michael Besman, David Paul Kirkpatrick, MPAA rating R, Sony Pictures Classics, sound mix SDDS, Dolby SR, Surround, aspect ratio 35mm
Worldwide gross: $5,881,367
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,793,138
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,945
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,177,005
US/Canada gross: $5,881,367
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $10,793,138
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,597
US/Canada opening weekend: $102,385
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $187,891
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,683
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $5,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $9,175,705
Production budget ranking: 1,706
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,941,117
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,323,684
ROI to date (est.): -24%
ROI ranking: 1,523
Martin Donovan – Bill Truitt
Lisa Kudrow – Ludia DeLury
Lyle Lovett – Sheriff Carl Tippett
Johnny Galecki – Jason Bock
William Lee Scott – Randy “One Ball” Cates
Director(s)
Don Roos
Writer(s)
Don Roos
Producer(s)
Michael Besman, David Paul Kirkpatrick
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
14 wins & 24 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (8)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 2/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4.5/5
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
Ruthe Stein
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Watching the movie is like sitting through a film in front of a row of wisecracking cult movie fans. It’s also sometimes very funny.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
July 14, 2007 | Rating: 1.5/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
This politically incorrect comedy serves up murder, unwanted pregnancy, and other neuroses, all undercut by the acerbic asides of the Lolita-like protag (acidly played by Christina Ricci).
December 24, 2006 | Rating: B+
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
June 2, 2006 | Rating: 8/10
JoBlo
JoBlo’s Movie Network
A few poorly cast actors bring this one down a few notches.
December 31, 2005 | Rating: 6/10
John Venable
Supercala.com
May 28, 2004 | Rating: 6/10
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews
May 14, 2003 | Rating: 3/4
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly…
Plot
A 16 year old Louisiana girl moves in with her homosexual half-brother and immediately starts coming on to his sexual partner, finally forcing him into an affair in which she becomes pregnant. The whole affair blows into a scandal exposing her school teacher brother and the true parent of the child is called into question as it is revealed that there have been a series of lovers.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Opposite of Sex features a “startlingly mature performance” from former child actor Christina Ricci.
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