Kinsey

Kinsey - ***

From writer/director Bill Condon, "Kinsey" is the adventurous biopic of Alfred Kinsey, a scientist who broke ground on researching sexual behavior. It stars Liam Neeson, the actor who announced his retirement in 1999 after "The Phantom Menace" and has seemingly had trouble letting go. The film traces Kinsey's life, with creative narration in the same format that he would go on to use in quizzing people about their sexuality. In it, they trace his childhood, marriage, sexuality and relationships with vivid detail and candor. Rounding out the cast are Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris O'Donnell, John Lithgow and Oliver Platt. While much has been said about the film's performances, the only one I thought to have stood out was Linney's, as she is the only person who really gave any light to what those left at home had to go through on these road trips. John Lithgow is good in his few scenes, but the idea of him playing the father of a Neeson character is not only laughable, it's idiotic. Still, the movie is very daring, and is willing to go to great lengths to make its point. In the end, the message is an important one: people ought to get the facts on issues before they let "morality" effect their opinions. Thumbs up.