Sex, Lies & Obsession

Last updated
Sex, Lies & Obsession
GenreDrama
Written by Patricia Resnick
Directed by Douglas Barr
Starring Harry Hamlin
Lisa Rinna
Music byJeff Eden Fair
Starr Parodi
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish language
Production
ProducerJudy Cairo
Production location Toronto
CinematographyMichael Storey
EditorMark Conte
Running time91 minutes
Release
Original network Lifetime
Picture formatColor
Audio format Stereo
Original releaseMay 7, 2001 (2001-05-07)

Sex, Lies & Obsession is a 2001 American made-for-television drama film directed by Douglas Barr and starring Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna as a couple whose marriage is at stake due to sexual addiction.

Plot

Joanna Thomas, a high school drama teacher, has been happily married for 15 years to Cameron Thomas, a successful orthopedic surgeon. Joanna's life seems complete until she begins to suspect that Cameron is having an affair. Her worst fears are confirmed when her intuition leads her to follow him one morning, ending up at an apartment complex. In horrified disbelief, Joanna watches Cameron embrace another woman. After Joanna tells her husband to leave their home, a distraught Cameron heads straight to the red light district to pick up a prostitute. Weeks later, Joanna allows Cameron to move back into the house, although she's still suspicious of his every move.

Things seem to return to normal until one night she gets a call from Cameron, who has been arrested for soliciting a prostitute. An enraged Joanna breaks open Cameron's locked desk drawer and discovers a key to the apartment where she had followed him earlier. There, she finds stacks of porn magazines, drawers full of condoms, oils, and X-rated videos—Cameron's very own den of iniquity. Joanna learns that Cameron's double life included frequenting prostitutes for years, visits to strip clubs and frequent phone sex.

In order to avoid an embarrassing court appearance, Cameron is ordered to see a psychologist, who requests that Joanna also attend. Joanna and Cameron learn that he may be a sex addict. Cameron reacts to the news by storming out of the office, and going to the one place where he finds solace, a strip club. He begins to observe the behavior of several men at the club, and eventually finds himself in a porn shop feeding quarters into a peep show. Desperate and overwrought, Cameron runs home to Joanna and admits he has a problem, begging for help. Cameron continues his therapy sessions with the psychologist and begins attending Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings. Feeling like his life is back on track, Cameron approaches Joanna about moving back in, but Joanna isn't ready, and they quarrel. An angry Cameron heads straight for the red-light district to cruise for prostitutes. Only this time something stops him. He phones the one person who can help him, his sponsor Carl. Three months later, Cameron stands before his group of fellow Sex Addicts to receive his 90-day medallion for abstaining. Joanna arrives at the meeting, but time will tell if she can forgive Cameron's betrayal, if Cameron can live a life free from sexual addiction and if together they can rebuild the life they once knew.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in Toronto between January 29 and February 21, 2001. [1]

On working together with his wife Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin commented: "It brought up a lot of interesting things for us because it dealt with classic issues that would come up in any marriage, such as sexual infidelity, lies and deception — all those things that are antithetical to what a marriage is really supposed to be about. [..] This was pretty intense stuff — we knew that going in. We knew that we were going to be dealing with some issues that married couples would rather not deal with. If we are going to do something else, I'd rather it be lighter." [2]

Remake

On July 9, 2021, Deadline announced that Lionsgate, who owns the library of Hearst Entertainment, the film's co-production partner (and filmed entertainment division of Lifetime co-owner Hearst Communications), will partner with MarVista Entertainment in remaking certain selections in the Hearst library. [3] Some of the films on tap for the remake spree included this film, alongside films like The Babysitter's Seduction, Sex & Mrs. X , Blue Valley Songbird , Santa Who? , A Different Kind of Christmas, and a possibility of over 100 other titles in the library. No further details have been released, including a date for when these films should be released, though Lionsgate and MarVista, who will jointly distribute these films, have planned to release these films to an undetermined streaming service. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Sprinkle</span> American pornographic actress and sex educator

Annie M. Sprinkle is an American certified sexologist, performance artist, former sex worker, and advocate for sex work and health care. Sprinkle has worked as a prostitute, sex educator, feminist stripper, pornographic film actress, and sex film producer and director. In 1996, she became the first porn star to get a doctoral degree, earning a PhD in human sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality in San Francisco. Identifying as ecosexual, Sprinkle is best known for her self-help style of pornography, teaching individuals about pleasure, and for her conventional pornographic film Deep Inside Annie Sprinkle (1981). Through the production of content, Sprinkle has contributed to feminist pornography and the larger social movement of feminism; she is also known for contributing to the rise of the post-porn movement and lesbian pornography. Sprinkle, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, married her long-time partner Beth Stephens in Canada on January 14, 2007.

<i>The Devil in Miss Jones</i> 1973 American pornographic film directed by Gerard Damiano

The Devil in Miss Jones is a 1973 pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano and starring Georgina Spelvin and Harry Reems. It is widely regarded as a classic adult film, released during the Golden Age of Porn (1969–1984). After his 1972 success with Deep Throat, Damiano shot the film in a converted apple-packing plant in Milanville, Pennsylvania. Along with Deep Throat and Behind the Green Door, the film is associated with a time in American culture known as "porno chic", in which adult erotic films were just beginning to be widely released, publicly discussed by celebrities and taken seriously by film critics. The film's plot was inspired by the 1944 play No Exit by French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. The Devil in Miss Jones went on to spawn numerous remakes and sequels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Hamlin</span> American actor

Harry Robinson Hamlin is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film Clash of the Titans and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series L.A. Law, for which he received three Golden Globe nominations. For his recurring role as Jim Cutler on the AMC drama series Mad Men, Hamlin received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Rinna</span> American actress

Lisa D. Hamlin is an American actress, television personality and model. As an actress, she is best known for her roles as Billie Reed on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives and Taylor McBride on Fox's television drama Melrose Place. Between 2014 and 2022, Rinna starred on Bravo's hit reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Other television credits include being a contestant on NBC's The Celebrity Apprentice and ABC's Dancing with the Stars, as well as guest-starring roles on series such as Entourage, The Middle, Veronica Mars, Community, and 8 Simple Rules. Rinna made her Broadway debut in Chicago as Roxie Hart in June 2007.

<i>The Stepford Wives</i> (2004 film) 2004 film by Frank Oz

The Stepford Wives is a 2004 American science fiction black comedy film directed by Frank Oz from a screenplay by Paul Rudnick and starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, and Faith Hill. The second feature-length adaptation of Ira Levin's 1972 novel of the same name following the 1975 film of the same name, it received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box office failure, grossing $103 million worldwide on a $90–100 million budget.

Soap Talk is a television talk show on SOAPnet hosted by Lisa Rinna and Ty Treadway. It debuted in 2002 and ended in 2006. The reason for the show's cancellation was due to SOAPnet expanding their programming away from a soap opera-related focus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian erotica</span> Visual art depiction of female-to-female sexuality

Lesbian erotica deals with depictions in the visual arts of lesbianism, which is the expression of female-on-female sexuality. Lesbianism has been a theme in erotic art since at least the time of ancient Rome, and many regard depictions of lesbianism to be erotic.

<i>Santa Who?</i> 2000 American TV film

Santa Who? is a 2000 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film starring Leslie Nielsen and directed by William Dear, in which Santa Claus develops a case of amnesia right before Christmas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Ketcham</span> American pornographic actress)

Jennifer "Jennie" Ketcham is an American writer, reality television personality, blogger, and artist. Before 2009, she worked as a pornographic film actress and director under the name Penny Flame. She later appeared on a number of television talk shows to discuss sex addiction, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tyra Banks Show, The View, Entertainment Tonight, Extra and Lifechangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Fox (American actress)</span> American pornographic actress

Stasia Micula, known professionally as Samantha Fox, was an American pornographic film and B movie actress. She started working in 1978, working in film for almost a decade. During her film career, Fox starred in over 100 films, including Roommates, A Night to Dismember and The Devil in Miss Jones 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Angel</span> American pornographic actress

Joanna Mostov, known professionally as Joanna Angel, is an American pornographic film actress, director, and writer of adult films. She founded the website BurningAngel.com in April 2002 with her roommate Mitch Fontaine, and has been credited with helping the growth of the alt porn genre. Launched as a response to websites such as SuicideGirls, the website featured alternative performers acting in exclusively hardcore scenes with a stronger focus on a punk aesthetic.

<i>Blue Valley Songbird</i> American TV series or program

Blue Valley Songbird is a 1999 American made-for-television musical drama film directed by Richard A. Colla and starring Dolly Parton. It was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee and originally premiered on Lifetime on November 1, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelley Lubben</span> Author, singer, motivational speaker, and former pornographic actress

Shelley Lubben was an American author, singer, motivational speaker, and pornographic actress. As a performer in the adult film industry, she was known professionally as Roxy. After she left the sex industry, Lubben became a born-again Christian and anti-pornography activist. From 2008 to 2016, she was the executive director of the Pink Cross Foundation, which reaches out to women and men in pornography and speaks in public forums, sharing about the hazardous working conditions that she experienced in the porn industry. In January 2016, she closed the Pink Cross Foundation. She was also an ordained Chaplain with the Order of Saint Martin with a degree in Theological studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollette Sheridan</span> English-born American actress

Nicollette Sheridan is an English-born American actress. She began her career as a fashion model before landing a role in the short-lived ABC primetime soap opera Paper Dolls in 1984, as well as starring in the romantic comedy film The Sure Thing (1985). She rose to prominence as Paige Matheson on the CBS primetime soap opera Knots Landing (1986–1993), for which she received two Soap Opera Digest Awards. Thereafter, Sheridan appeared in lead roles in numerous television films and miniseries, including Lucky Chances (1990), Virus (1995), and The People Next Door (1996). She also appeared in the feature films Noises Off (1992), Spy Hard (1996), Beverly Hills Ninja (1997), and Code Name: The Cleaner (2007).

<i>Sex & Mrs. X</i> American TV series or program

Sex & Mrs. X is a 2000 Lifetime television film. It was directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and based on an article published by Amanda Vaill in Allure. It stars Jacqueline Bisset and Linda Hamilton and premiered on 10 April 2000.

<i>Thanks for Sharing</i> 2012 American film

Thanks for Sharing is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stuart Blumberg, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matt Winston. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Patrick Fugit, Carol Kane, and Pink, with a supporting cast including Michaela Watkins, Emily Meade, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.

<i>Addicted</i> (2014 film) 2014 American film

Addicted is a 2014 American erotic thriller drama film directed by Bille Woodruff from a screenplay by Christina Welsh and Ernie Barbarash, based on Zane's novel of the same name. It stars Sharon Leal, Boris Kodjoe, Tasha Smith, Tyson Beckford, Emayatzy Corinealdi, and William Levy. The film was released in the United States on October 10, 2014, by Lionsgate. it received generally negative reviews from critics

<i>LArt (délicat) de la séduction</i> 2001 film by Richard Berry

L'Art (délicat) de la séduction is a 2001 French film directed by Richard Berry. The soundtrack for the film was composed by Éric Serra.

<i>Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life</i> 2005 television drama film

Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life is a 2005 American psychological drama made-for-television film about a teenage boy whose life goes downhill after he develops an addiction to internet pornography. The film was directed by Tom McLoughlin, and stars Jeremy Sumpter in the main role, with co-actors including Kelly Lynch, Jake Scott and Lyndsy Fonseca. It received no notable critical reviews initially, but in the 2010s became considered a stereotypical example of Lifetime Movie Network films after renewed attention to the title, and it received an unexpected cult following.

References

  1. Turner Classic Movies MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
  2. Us Weekly , May 7, 2001. Interview with Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna.
  3. White, Peter (2021-07-09). "Are TV Movies Back? Lionsgate & MarVista Strike Deal To Remake Classic MOWs Including Keri Russell's 'The Babysitter's Seduction'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  4. "'The Babysitter's Seduction' Among TV Movies Getting a Remake in Lionsgate / MarVista Deal". Movieweb. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2021-08-27.