Let's face it; sex is interesting. It's not only what keeps our species alive through continuing generations, it's also the impetus behind so many aspects of our culture. And yet, until the release of Kinsey's first book dealing with human sexuality was published in 1948, no truly scientific study had been done on the subject. It was fascination with sex that turned that book into a national bestseller, and it is that same fascination that makes this movie work.
Dr. Kinsey's (Liam Neeson) preferred method of data gathering was by interviewing subjects about their sexual history. A history that was then recorded in code for which there was no written key to provide anonymity. It is through this method that the movie gains its structure. Kinsey himself is interviewed by several of his associates throughout the film, and he reveals his life story to them in flashbacks.
Raised by a strict, religious father, Kinsey remained a virgin until his marriage. It was as a consequence of his own uncertainties in the marriage bed and the various questions his students would ask in private at the university where he was a professor who specialized in the study of the gall wasp, that he first conceived of the idea of teaching a human sexuality class. At first, there was some resistance to the idea of the class, but the overwhelming number of students who signed up to take the course, soon overrode the university's objections. It was as an assignment for his class that he took the first sexual histories. Discovering the fascinating data, these histories returned he sought out and was given a grant to do a national study.
The resulting publications were greeted with acclaim and then controversy. While many people considered Kinsey immoral, as shown in this film he was more amoral. Sex, it seems, is just another subject to study. He has an affair with one of his male colleagues, but rather than passion, it seems to be more for the experience. Later he encourages the same man to sleep with his wife. Actions that would certainly qualify to many as immoral, but to the coldly scientific Kinsey seem to be merely experiments. His most controversial action is less easy to excuse. Seeking to interview as many different types of people at one point he is given the offer to interview a pedophile who has kept meticulous records of all of his conquests. In his eagerness for the data, Kinsey happily takes the interview. It is this same sense of experimentation that drives him to pierce his foreskin later in his life, to which he reports quite calmly, "There was quite a bit of pain, but very little pleasure."
While the stars all give great performances, it is sex that is the star of the movie, although I don't mean in an erotic sort of way. Nudity is kept to a minimum, as is actual sex scenes. It is the idea of it and our natural curiosity about all aspects of it that keeps our attention throughout the film. And let's face it; if Kinsey had only ever published books about the gall wasp, we wouldn't be seeing a movie about his life no matter how interesting it might have been.
