Friday 26 September 2014

Is sex funny?

Sex Tape starts with the interesting premise: to what lengths would you go if you thought that a private video of you & your partner having sex had been made public against your intentions? The movie suggests, short of murder, quite a long way... Ignoring some of the glaring narrative holes in the plot line, this film is funny in parts... but also rather cringe-worthy in other parts.

The two main actors are, of course, very bankable stars with deep comedic roots. But if I was left wondering whether Jason Segel co-wrote this just so that he could get naked with Cameron Diaz, then I am not sure the film works. I ought to have been immersed in the story rather than looping out into wondering about the film's provenance. The best bit was Jack Black ironically dispensing relationship advice. The film is OK but it is not brilliant. It is certainly not a date movie unless you have been with your partner for quite a while...!


Part of the comedic tension rests on the conflict between the public and private personas of the main characters, especially the one played by Ms Diaz. The risk is that her image will be tainted by the disclosure of the other...

Even before the advent of social media and 'the cloud' (which, as Ms Diaz points out in the movie, is merely someone else's computer), leaders have faced this challenge. It is called 'walking the talk', professional integrity or ensuring your deeds match words etc. Of course every leader believes she/he has integrity. But in a leadership role it is about what other people think... So it is vital that leaders get this feedback.

Who gives you honest feedback on whether your words and deed match? 

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This is the fifty first of my 2014 series of blogs about leadership ideas to be found in the movies of our time. You can read here as why I am doing this. Please subscribe to this blog if you want to read more. Thanks. Click the label 'film' to see all the others.

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