''Denial'' is a 1998 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written and directed by

Adam Rifkin Adam Rifkin (born December 31, 1966), sometimes credited as Rif Coogan, is an American filmmaker and actor. His career ranges from broad family comedies to dark and gritty urban dramas. He is best known for writing family-friendly comedies like ...

. It was first screened at the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...

on May 21, 1998, and was released to video one year later under the title ''Something About Sex''. The plot revolved around couples as they struggle with the hardships of maintaining a

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

relationship. It starred

Jonathan Silverman Jonathan Elihu Silverman (born August 5, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the comedy films ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Weekend at Bernie's'', and its sequel ''Weekend at Bernie's II''. Early life and education Silverm ...

Leah Lail Leah Lail is a retired American actress, best known for her role as Kay Simmons the communications and systems expert on the syndicated television series '' V.I.P.''. Early life Lail graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern Cal ...

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and racing driver best known for playing neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–15; 2020–21). He is also known for his leading man romantic film roles, such ...

Christine Taylor Christine Joan Taylor Stiller (born July 30, 1971) is an American actress. She has played Marcia Brady in '' The Brady Bunch Movie'' and '' A Very Brady Sequel'' and appeared in '' The Craft'', '' The Wedding Singer'', '' Zoolander'', and '' Do ...

, Ryan Alosio,

Amy Yasbeck Amy Yasbeck (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Casey Chappel Davenport on the sitcom '' Wings'' from 1994 to 1997 and for having played the mermaid Madison in the television film '' Splash, Too'' in 1988 (the role ...

, and

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...

. It was produced by Brad Wyman.

Plot

Couples Joel and Sophie, Sam and Sammie and Isaac and Claudia are dining with writer Art Witz. The latter talks about his new book, in which he argues that

monogamy Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...

is a lie and that people are by nature alienated. The three couples react furiously. Feeling insulted by Art's views, they end the dinner. The next day, Isaac buys a wedding present for his wife Claudia in an antique shop. He has sex with the salesgirl. Later, he and Joel attend a hockey game where he seduces another woman, having wild sex back at her apartment. Meanwhile, Claudia searches for Art and ends up in bed with him, admitting that she and Isaac have been polygamous for a long time, but hide it from their friends. Jewish lawyer Joel receives an erotic massage in an illegal massage studio. He suffers from his guilty conscience. He is plagued by nightmares and decides to tell his wife Sophie the truth. His brother Reuben advises against it. Reuben is a geeky

ne'er-do-well "Ne'er-do-well" is a derogatory term for a good-for-nothing person; or a rogue, vagrant or vagabond without means of support. It is a contraction of the phrase ''never-do-well''. Colonial context The term ne'er-do-well was used in the ninetee ...

, with a penchant for

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

women, Medical student Sophie meets secretly with her medical professor Dr. Lionel Taft, and sleeps with him. She then realizes that she loves her husband. Joel confesses the event to Sophie, while she keeps her affair secret. Sam, a chef working for a toy catering company, is about to marry his pregnant fiancé Sammie. He is a fan of

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

, which he keeps secret from his fiancée. When she discovers that, she fears that he can cheat her as well. Sammie hires a

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI; also known as a private detective, an inquiry agent or informally a wikt:private eye, private eye) is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. ...

, who in turn decides to use a woman as bait for Sam. He, however, resists the woman's charm, which Sammie registers with great relief. The film ends with a scene depicting Sam and Sammie's wedding, which their friends attend as guests.

Cast

as Joel *

as Sophie *

as Sam *

as Sammie * Ryan Alosio as Isaac *

as Claudia *

as Art Witz *

Charles Shaughnessy Charles George Patrick Shaughnessy, 5th Baron Shaughnessy (born 9 February 1955) is a British actor. His roles on American television include Shane Donovan on the soap opera ''Days of Our Lives'', Maxwell Sheffield on the sitcom ''The Nanny ...

as Dr. Lionel Taft *

as Reuben *

Hudson Leick Heidi Hudson Leick (born May 9, 1969) is a former American actress, known for her role as villainess Callisto in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. Early life Leick was born in Cincinnat ...

as Deborah

Production

The film was filmed on

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Reception

Ken Eisner of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' considered parts of the film to be "adult tube fare," "obvious" and "forced," but praised

's direction, stating that " eadds enough edge and originality to make it a potential click with theater auds. Marketeers will have to win femmes over to pic's slightly male-skewed view." He also praised the film's music score.

References

External links

* * {{Adam Rifkin 1998 drama films 1998 films Films about adultery in the United States American drama films Films about nightmares Films about writers Films scored by Tyler Bates Films directed by Adam Rifkin Films shot in Los Angeles The Kushner-Locke Company films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language drama films