‘The Joy Of Sex’ At 40: A Film That Paradoxically Lacks Sex And Joy

The key texts that catalyzed the sexual revolution in suburban America during the 1970s were Dr. David Reuben’s 1969 book Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask and Alex Comfort’s 1972 publication The Joy Of Sex. For many school kids of that era, discovering these books in their households was a highbrow equivalent of finding their fathers’ Playboy magazines. These books offered both educational insights and a peek into the adult world of sexuality.

Reuben’s book was more of an educational guide where you could look up terms like "ejaculation" and "wet dreams." One amusing yet unfounded claim that circulated among middle schoolers was that men could only experience 10,000 ejaculations in their lifetime—a myth that Reuben’s book did not address. Comfort’s The Joy Of Sex was more visual, featuring detailed line drawings that demonstrated various sexual positions in a non-titillating manner.

These popular books naturally caught Hollywood’s attention, prompting adaptations that took a comedic route. Reuben’s book was adapted by Woody Allen into an anthology of sketches titled Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex in 1972. While Allen’s involvement might deter some viewers today, the film remains a product of its time.

Comfort’s book, however, took over a decade to be adapted into a movie. Joy Of Sex was finally made in 1984, just before the rights were due to expire. Directed by Martha Coolidge, the film attempts to follow the journey of two high school students desperate to lose their virginity. This narrative was the only aspect the movie kept from the book, which largely ignored non-heterosexual experiences—a gap later filled by another publication called The Joy of Gay Sex.

The film features some appealing young actors, with Michelle Meyrink standing out in particular. Her male counterpart, played by Cameron Dye, also delivers a commendable performance. The movie opens with a vibrant sequence showing school life, setting a tone of joviality that the rest of the film fails to maintain.

In one scene, a phys-ed teacher, stereotypically depicted, tells her class to view the male sex organ as the enemy. The film also includes a foreign exchange student whose cultural differences are initially mocked but later celebrated upon the discovery of his wealth. Arriving just past the opening credits, Ernie Hudson appears as the principal. It’s refreshing to see Hudson, though his role is notably underdeveloped.

Despite its supposed premise, Joy Of Sex lacks both sex and joy. Christopher Lloyd, portraying the gym coach and father of Meyrink’s character, is unable to elevate the lackluster screenplay. A particularly distasteful scene involves a student slicing off the breast of a Venus De Milo statue. Coolidge, instructed to film and later cut scenes of topless teens, endured a challenging directorial experience. The only nudity shown is from a stag film accidentally screened by one of the students.

Though Joy Of Sex falters, it inadvertently became a precursor for Coolidge’s next project, the much better-received 1985 film Real Genius. Robert Prescott, who played a high-school jerk in Joy Of Sex, reprised a similar role in Real Genius as the annoying Kirk. Meyrink, with her perpetually nerdy look, also starred in Real Genius. Her unfortunate experiences in films like Revenge of the Nerds in 1984 potentially influenced her early retirement from acting in the late ’80s.

Source: Decider