''The Deviants'' is a

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

about a matchmaker for people with unusual sexual deviations (all of which legal or borderline legal, except

non statutory female on male rape Rape by gender classifies types of rape by the Sex and gender distinction, sex and/or gender of both the rapist and the victim. This scope includes both rape and sexual assault more generally. Most research indicates that rape affects women dispro ...

). ''The Deviants'' was written by Doug Dezzani and Reid Waterer and directed by Reid Waterer. It was Waterer's first feature. The

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

Rating for the film is R for strong sexual content, nudity (by the

nudist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...

character of

Tiffany Shepis Tiffany Shepis (born September 11, 1979) is an American actress from New York City, who has been involved in film-making since the age of 16. She is popularly known as a " scream queen" in several horror films. Career Shepis got her start playi ...

) and language.

Acceptance

This film was nominated for Best Feature of the 2003 Ohio Independent Film Festival. It received a rave review from Julie Washington in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

's major newspaper, ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', in which she called it "hilarious and more heartfelt than any of the gross-out fests filling the multiplexes. A celebration of sick humor". In

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

's ''

Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by ...

'', Mark Burger wrote: "Slight but appealing romantic comedy, in which an unorthodox dating service tries to match people with sexual quirks. Director Reid Waterer may be a talent to watch, and Tiffany Shepis is a saucy standout".

Production

Produced independently, the movie was acquired by Allumination Entertainment and released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in 2004.

Plot

Norm ( Doug Dezzani) the matchmaker at Hopeless Romantics can find surprising love matches for anyone, no matter how strange their behavior. However, when Norm hires sassy protégé Monique ( Tamara Curry) and tries to teach her the tricks of the trade, they encounter the wildest clients he's ever had, some of whom are: * Marina (

), a female

who seeks someone who will share her views on social nudity and sexuality. That is, someone who will see her constant nakedness in appreciation of the human body rather than an invitation for sex. * Norm himself, who always feels incomplete in sex due to his failure to experience simultaneous orgasms with his female partner. * Cecilia (

Angel Boris Angel Lynn Boris (born August 2, 1974) is an American model and actress sometimes credited as Angel Boris Reed. Career Boris was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. After entering the Venus Swimwear international model search in 1994, she was disc ...

), a

hypersexual Hypersexuality is extremely frequent or suddenly increased libido. It is controversial whether it should be included as a clinical diagnosis used by mental healthcare professionals. Nymphomania and satyriasis were terms previously used for the c ...

woman who can't talk to men in private without immediately raping them at gunpoint and/or by knocking them out (see

somnophilia Somnophilia (from Latin ''somnus'' "sleep" and Greek φιλία, ''-philia'' "friendship") is a paraphilia in which an individual becomes sexually aroused by someone who is unconscious.Flora 2001, p. 92. ''The Dictionary of Psychology'' categoriz ...

). She does the latter to Norm himself when she first presents her problem to him in his private office, and the former to Monique's former boyfriend (in a date which Norm later arranged for them). * A house cleaner, who is aroused by

pubic hair Pubic hair is terminal body hair that is found in the genital area of adolescent and adult humans. The hair is located on and around the sex organs and sometimes at the top of the inside of the thighs. In the pubic region around the pubis bon ...

. Therefore, she either collects it from her clients' houses or sneaks up on her male clients and plucks their pubic hair directly. * A man who is aroused by cats. * A bodybuilder who feels his

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do n ...

is too small. * A woman who can only reach orgasm while standing upside down on her head. * Chad (Brad Yoder), a pool guy who can't help peeing into his clients' swimming pools for arousal. * Ivan (

Christopher Bradley Christopher Bradley, formerly known as Bolt and Maverick, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring the X-Men. He is a young mutant who first appeared in ''X-Men Unlimite ...

), a "handicapped"

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

man who uses his wheelchair as an excuse to stare at people's crotches. He's unable to do so directly, as he feels unwanted in the gay community due to his older age. Somehow, Norm and Monique find the right match for each of their clients as well as for themselves, thus ending the movie on the positive note that there's a right match out there for everybody.

References

External links

''The Deviants''
review at the

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Deviants, The 2004 films American independent films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films