This 2012 movie about a poet, paralyzed by polio who hires a sex surrogate is a mixed-bag to say the least. It did well with critics overall and currently holds a 93% score on 'Rotten Tomatoes', and while there are some things I liked about the film, there is just as much to criticize.
The basic plot centers around Mark O'Brien (played by John Hawkes) who is paralyzed from the neck down and decides one day that he wants to lose his virginity. So, after discussing this with a priest (played by William H. Macy) Mark hires a sex surrogate named Cheryl (played by Helen Hunt). As this journey into discovering sex continues both Mark and Cheryl start to develop strong feelings for one another. Mark regularly gives progress updates to his priest/friend after every session, and Cheryl starts to feel conflicted as the lines begin to blur between work and love.
The film does have a few things going for it; It's well shot, the cast is pretty good, and it's definitely not a story I felt like I've seen a hundred times. However, it's a bit slow and feels a lot longer than it's 95 minute runtime. The romance felt contrived, and it's probably one of the most bland movies I've seen in quite a while.
Overall, while obviously aiming to register emotional with the audience, this one just didn't work for me. It's not horrible, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it... I mean, unless you really want to see Helen Hunt naked.
I give this one a 1.5 out of 5
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