Synopsis: Scam Or Be Scammed!

Meet Brad, Zeke, and Jonathan, three typical males looking for love – or at least great sex – in New York City. Along with their married friend Eric, the trio meet once a week at their favorite diner to discuss the intimate details of their sexual conquests. Life is all fun and games for these on-the-make studs until they meet the smart, sexy and fun-loving Mia – and realize she’s been seeing all three of them at the same time! But which eligible bachelor will she choose and can the guys’ egos (and their friendship) survive her decision?

This outrageous and provocative comedy offers a bitingly humorous look at modern relationships and sex, featuring the first-rate performances, including a radiant Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards, TV’s “Jack and Jill”) as the woman who may just beat these players at their own game.

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Whipped 7.75

eyelights: its piss-take on male scammers. Amanda Peet.
eyesores: its sillier gags.

“Everybody fucks everybody else; it’s the nature of the beast.”

‘Whipped’ is a guilty pleasure of mine. I picked it up in my first DVD deal, having bought a bulk load of them for relatively cheap (for the time), cherry-picking, and then reselling the rest to my work colleagues to make some of my money back. Beforehand, I made sure to watch most of them to decide which ones I’d keep.

‘Whipped’ totally took by surprise.

Released in 2000, the picture stars Brian Van Holt, Zorie Barber and Jonathan Abrahams as three buddies who meet at the local diner every Sunday to discuss the last week’s sexual conquests. Sometimes they are joined by a former brother-in-arms, Eric (Judah Domke), who has lost all of their respect since getting married.

One Sunday, Brad tells the rest that he’s met the perfect woman. Coincidentally enough, so did Zeke. And, in turn, Jonathan says the same. Soon they discover that the woman of their dreams is the same person, Mia, who likes them equally. Now their friendship is on the line, as they compete with each other for her attention.

Frankly, when I sat down to watch ‘Whipped’, I had expected just your average sex comedy, but there was a feminist aspect to it that I relished: While it’s from a male perspective, ultimately it’s about a woman turning the tables on a few players, putting them in the very same position that they’d put countless women in.

Personally, I thought that it was well-deserved. And it was about time.

It sure put a smile on my face.

I was also quite amused by the humour that peppers the picture as Brad and Zeke discuss their strategies and boast about the women they’ve picked up – and of the downside of their lifestyle (“dirty” kisses, stolen televisions, …etc.). Jonathan, the nice guy, tries to keep up while Eric talks about raunchy married sex.

There’s a pretty funny scene in which the gang is at a basketball court and each of them is dreaming about Mia in their own unique fantasy – and then Eric is found daydreaming about hanging out with his bestest buddies in the whole wide world. It’s a cheap shot at married life, but it was an amusing way to poke fun at it.

There are contrivances, like when Mia invites all of them on a date on the same night and they wind up arguing awkwardly over her. And gags that don’t quite make the cut, like when Jonathan drops Mia’s vibrator into the toilet just before their date and has to stall while he digs all the way in to retrieve it. But it’s passable.

What truly makes the picture interesting is that we get each of the characters’ perspective in interview-type segments and through their fantasy life; while ‘Whipped’ gets its laughs by poking fun at clichés and stereotypes, it succeeds by giving us a more in-depth look at the real men behind the façades they put up publicly.

‘Whipped’ will never be considered a masterpiece by anyone, but it’s generally successful at making its audience laugh and reflect at the same time. Backed by some fairly decent comedic performances (including a terrific turn by Amanda Peet as Mia), it’s a pretty good way to spend 85 minutes in the company a few besties.

Just don’t plan a date night around it.

Story: 8.0
Acting: 7.5
Production: 7.5

Nudity: 0
Sexiness: 1.0
Explicitness: 2.5

Date of viewing: May 2, 2016