Scenes of a Sexual Nature (2006) Reviews

A handful of couples discuss their romantic and erotic tribulations on a sunny afternoon in this romantic comedy drama. It's a beautiful day in London, and a number of people head out to Hampstead Heath Park to enjoy the weather, though not every couple on hand is as comfortable as the weather might suggest. Julia (Gina McKee) and Gerry (Hugh Bonneville) are having a picnic as part of a blind date, but they don't seem to be enjoying one another's company. Billy (Ewan McGregor) and Brian (Douglas Hodge) are a gay couple at a crossroads -- Billy wants to settle down and adopt a child, but Brian doesn't believe this will stop his partner's chronic infidelity. Iris (Eileen Atkins) and Eddie (Benjamin Whitrow) were an item many years ago, but aren't sure what to make of one another when they meet by chance in the park. Sara (Catherine Tate) and Pete (Adrian Lester) discover how much they care for one another just as they're on the verge of divorce. Jamie (Andrew Lincoln) finds he has some explaining to do when his wife Molly (Holly Aird) catches him ogling a pretty young woman (Eglantine Rembauville) who is inadvertently exposing her underwear. Ludo (Nick Sidi) and Anna (Sophie Okonedo) are a couple whose romance doesn't seem fated to live out the day. And Noel (Tom Hardy) is a lecherous sort who is looking for a woman as interested in sex as he is. Scenes of a Sexual Nature was the first feature film from director Edward Blum; the picture was shot on a shoestring budget, with the actors being paid union scale in exchange for a share of the film's profits. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi