2024 Entry #005 01-04-04 “Kinsey” is a 2004 American biographical drama film written and directed by Bill Condon (“Gods and Monsters”, “Chicago” & the upcoming musical adaptation of “Kiss of the Spider-Woman”), who is himself openly gay. The film features a celebrated cast including Liam Neeson (“Rob Roy”, “Breakfast on Pluto”) Laura Linney (“Tales of the City”, “More Tales of the City”, “Further Tales of the City”, “The Laramie Project”), Chris O’Donnell (“Fried Green Tomatoes”), Peter Sarsgaard (“Boys Don’t Cry”, “Unconditional Love”, “The Dying Gall”, “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh”), Timothy Hutton (“The Substance of Fire”), John Lithgow (“The World According to Garp”), Tim Curry (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “Clue”, “Will & Grace”), Oliver Platt (“Three to Tango”, “Nip/Tuck”, “The Good Wife”, “Modern Family”), Dylan Baker (“Oz”, “Ugly Betty”, “Happiness”, “The Laramie Project”, “The Matador”, “The Good Wife”, “Political Animals”, “Smash”, “The Good Fight”), John McMartin (“Oz”, “Further Tales of the City”), Lynn Redgrave (“Gods and Monsters”, “The Next Best Thing”, “Unconditional Love”, “The Jane Austen Book Club”), Julianne Nicholson (“Ally McBeal”, “Keep the Lights On”), Veronica Cartwright (“Alien”, “Will & Grace”, “Breaking Fast”), Heather Goldenhersh (“Sex and the City”, “Spin the Bottle”, “Nicholas Nickleby”, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”, “The Merchant of Venice”, “Modern Family”), David Harbour (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”, “Brokeback Mountain”, “Stranger Things”) and openly gay actor Luke Macfarlane (“Brothers & Sisters”, “Smash”, “Single All the Way”, “Bros”).
The film presents the life of Alfred Charles Kinsey (Neeson), a pioneer in the area of sexology. His 1948 publication, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (the first of the Kinsey Reports) was one of the first recorded works that tried to scientifically address and investigate sexual behavior in humans – including homosexuality, which is featured (refreshingly) prominently throughout the film. Laura Linney’s performance as Kinsey’s wife Clara McMillen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the film received widespread praise (it currently holds a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and was featured on many critics’ top ten lists for 2004, including those working for The Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, L.A. Weekly, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, The New York Times, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, San Francisco Chronicle & The Wall Street Journal. The film won awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Best Actor: Liam Neeson), The American Film Awards (Top 10 American Films of 2004: Kinsey) & the National Board of Review (Top Ten Films: Kinsey & Best Supporting Actress: Laura Linney).
I’d seen “Kinsey” once before when it was a new release at my video store. I remembered that the film was appropriately frank, that it featured gay, bisexual and lesbian subject matter and characters throughout, and that I had greatly enjoyed it. This proved true on my second viewing as well. I highly recommend it.