IMDb >
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsEverything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 21 | slideshow) | Videos |
Overview
User Rating:
Contact:
View company contact information for Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask on IMDbPro.Release Date:
6 August 1972 (USA) moreTagline:
If you want to know how this man made a movie out of this book... "Everything you always wanted to know about sex* - *But Were Afraid to Ask" you'll have to see the movie! morePlot:
Seven segments related to one another only in that they all purport to be based on sections of the book by David Reuben... more | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Rip: Lou Jacobi (From Cinematical. 28 October 2009, 3:18 PM, PDT)
Character Actor Lou Jacobi Dead At Age 95
(From CinemaRetro. 27 October 2009, 4:25 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Bad taste done tastefully. more (59 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Woody Allen | ... | The Fool / Fabrizio / Victor Shakapopulis / Sperm #1 | |
| John Carradine | ... | Dr. Bernardo | |
| Lou Jacobi | ... | Sam Musgrave | |
| Louise Lasser | ... | Gina | |
| Anthony Quayle | ... | The King | |
| Tony Randall | ... | The Operator | |
| Lynn Redgrave | ... | The Queen | |
| Burt Reynolds | ... | Switchboard | |
| Gene Wilder | ... | Dr. Doug Ross | |
| Jack Barry | ... | Himself | |
| Erin Fleming | ... | The Girl | |
| Elaine Giftos | ... | Anne Ross | |
| Toni Holt | ... | Herself | |
| Robert Q. Lewis | ... | Himself | |
| Heather MacRae | ... | Helen Lacey |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
87 minCountry:
USAAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 | Brazil:14 | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Iceland:Unrated | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #23359) | West Germany:12Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The seven segments are: - (1) Do Aphrodisiacs Work? in which a court jester is foiled by the Queen's chastity belt - (2) What is Sodomy? in which a doctor falls in love with one of his patients, who just happens to be a sheep - (3) Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm? Allen's homage to Italian film-making in general and Michelangelo Antonioni in particular - (4) Are Transvestites Homosexuals? in which a middle-aged man experiments with women's clothes - (5) What Are Sex Perverts? a send-up of game shows - (6) Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research Accurate? in which the countryside is terrorized by a giant runaway breast and - (7) What Happens During Ejaculation? which is set in the brain (and other parts of the body) as a man gets involved in a sexual clinch. moreGoofs:
Boom mic visible: Possibly deliberate error by filmmaker. At the very end of the "What's My Perversion" segment. moreQuotes:
The Girl: For me, Norman Mailer has exactly that same sort of relevance - that affirmitive, negative duality that only Proust or Flaubert could achieve.The Operator: I don't know if we're gonna make it or not, doesn't look too good.
The Girl: I'm a graduate of New York University.
The Operator: We're gonna make it.
more
Soundtrack:
LET'S MISBEHAVE moreFAQ
Where did the title come from?more
more (59 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Candy | Airplane! | European Vacation | Stocking Stuffers | Sleeper |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |











Everything You Always Wanted to Know... is frequently looked down upon as it fulfils its promise completely. That is, it contains a lot of sex.
To downplay the film on such a level is to do it a disservice: what may be overlooked is that, apart from the subject matter and the brevity with which such a topic is treated, this is shot extremely well.
A notable example of this is Allen's technique of having actors speaking with their backs to the camera. A very European style of filming, and one which, understandably, is most brought into play during the third vignette, a pitch-perfect satire of continental cinema. Also look out for the grand-scale surrealism that occupies the last two sequences: a 400-foot breast rolling down a well-shot hillside or a giant tongue may seem crude in context, but looked at solely for cinematic technique this is pure Fellini. This may seem to be overstating it, but never has a bawdy, slightly crass, comedy vehicle been so well conceived for the big screen. Even the opening sequence involving a multitude of white rabbits is shot with the screen in mind, a twitching nose and red eye the only objects punctuating an effective white counterpoint for the introductory credits.
And so to the content itself, which doesn't match the quality of the production and sags in the middle. The first three sketches are quite wonderful, the third, as mentioned, is exquisite, and the scenes with Gene Wilder romancing a sheep may not be as sophisticated, but are probably the funniest. The first sketch sees Woody as a medieval jester paraphrasing Shakespeare, though the gags really don't get any better (or more tasteful) than "T.B. or not T.B., that is the congestion". For this is a film that has no limits, and its content flirts with notions of bestiality, transvestism, the female orgasm, ejaculation and sex in public places. Not all of these are carried off particularly well, the transvestite sketch falling resolutely flat. There is also evidence of Woody's homophobia, casting himself as a sperm dreading being ejected during a "homosexual encounter". In fact, an eighth sketch was filmed, which suggested homosexuality arises as a direct consequence of fear of women. This was cut not on bounds of taste but due to the fact that Woody couldn't think of a good enough punchline.
Worst point of the film though, has to be the "What's My Perversion?" segment. While extremely satirical, this one leaves an extremely bad taste in the mouth as Woody seems to be going full-out to offend with this piece. While the basic idea could cause some amusement, seeing a panellist quizzing a contestant as to whether he's a rapist or a child molester is several stages beyond funny. Simarily, the sketch ends with a Rabbi's wife on her knees eating pork. An unnecessary addition to the film.
However, it is of importance in terms of Woody's screen "character". The rough edges, arrogance and pseudo-intellectualism of his mid-seventies work onwards has yet to emerge, and here we still have Woody very much as he was in "Casino Royale" - ie., a bit of a nerd and on the losing end of life. Amazing to think that in just two years time he was writing himself as a lothario who was exceptionally good in bed.
In conclusion, then, a worthwhile view if you're a student of film or a fan of Woody's, but if you're watching this one for the comedy then it's purely hit-and-miss.