THE END OF SEX: Romantic Comedy Exploring Intimacy And Familiarity

The End of Sex–directed by Sean Garrity and written by Jonas Chernick–and starring Jonas Chernick and Emily Hampshire, is an occasionally fun sex comedy with a believable marriage at its center.

The End of Sex follows 40-something married couple Josh (Jonas Chernick) and Emma (Emily Hampshire) as they realize they have the house to themselves for a week when their kids go to camp–the same camp where Josh and Emma first met.

Humor and Intimacy

Josh and Emma decide to try and spice up their sex life, once they realize they’re floundering. The first moments where they excitedly talk about not having to close the doors set up a fun tone for the film and realistically explore a couple wanting to reclaim their intimacy.

The End of Sex works well as a spiritual successor to An Awkward Sexual Adventure–also directed by Sean Garrity, written by Jonas Chernick, and starring Jonas Chernick and Emily Hampshire. Fans of that earlier film will enhoy seeing familiar faces embark on new sexual adventures that are both awkward and humurous. But the comedy in The End of Sex doesn’t always land.

Some of the humor and situations feel stagnant and old-fashioned: jokes we’ve heard about sexuality for years that are not going to shock the audience. But when the film dives into the awkwardness of Josh and Emma finding themselves in these situations, Chernick and Hampshire sell how awkward and unfamiliar they are in the middle of threesomes and sex clubs.

Chernick brings a perfect amount of awkward nervous energy to Josh, making his more absurd moments built upon an anxiety of making the wrong decision feel that much more realistic and imbued with a slice of screwball energy.

Love in Domesticity

The End of Sex is an occasionally fun sex romp built around relationship insecurities. Josh and Emma have been married for ten years, and as they see the marriages of their friends fail, the couple wonders if they will stay together.

Josh and Emma’s concerns about their sex life going stagnant are realistic. They go to extremes to rekindle their passion, but the film could have went further with the situations this domestic married couple find themselves in.

But this combination of supposed raunchy sex comedy with heartwarming romantic comedy adds a layer of unique charm to The End of Sex. The film explores how all couples are not the same. And for Josh and Emma, their love comes through with the most truth and passion within their normal life, far away from their planned sexual escapades.

Throughout the film, its sexuality comes more from a place of romcom tropes than raunchy comedy staples. The End of Sex explores familiar romantic comedy devices such as making each other jealous, awkward situations, and unexpected crushes. These elements, for the most part, are well-crafted with charm, familiarity, and comfortable chemistry between Chernick and Hampshire, making Josh and Emma’s longtime relationship feel natural.

Failed Attempts at Spicing Up Their Marriage

Josh and Emma’s failed attempts at spicing up their sex life speak more toward their own issues of intimacy rather than the absurd, cringe humor nature of the situations in which they find themselves.

Their early decision to add a new level to their intimacy is a proposed threesome with Emma’s colleague and friend Wendy (Melanie Scrofano). The moment does not start off very absurd.

There is a slight amount of cringe humor found in the scene, mostly driven by the dissonance between Emma’s acceptance and Josh’s reluctance. The encounter only enters cringe territory when Wendy falls in love with Emma and tries to steal her away from Josh, which feels tacked on to add absurdity to the interaction.

The End of Sex might have worked better if Emma and Josh’s experiences were not so polarizing. Everything they try to reinvigorate their sex life is the worst possible scenario: a jealous threesome and a sex club filled with geriatric men among others. If one of their attempts was even close to changing their minds and adding new intimacy to their marriage, Josh and Emma’s wholesome romantic comedy moments would have landed even better.

Josh’s coworker Kelly (Lily Gao) has her own interesting sexual insecurities and the film could have explored these more fully. Kelly takes Josh to a party where we get to see a glimpse into Kelly’s life and her problems. This moment adds complexity to her character and the film should have expanded on the scene or incorporated similar moments with her character throughout the film.

Conclusion

The End of Sex blends sex comedy with a more traditional romcom, which sometimes works but the humor doesn’t always land. Josh and Emma’s long-standing marriage feels realistic and Emily Hampshire and Jonas Chernick share a familiar chemistry.

The End of Sex is available on VOD!

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