‘sex, lies, and videotape’: Candid Camera With an Edge

Even before Rodney King and those other “caught on tape” incidents that keep showing up on TV news, the video cam had become a tool for quick-hit personal history. Steven Soderbergh’s “sex, lies, and videotape” tapped into that phenomenon.

The 1989 seriocomedy is not about a newsy event, but its suburban plot touches on the power of perception when ordinary folks are recorded on tape, unable to deny who or what they are with the evidence rolling on the screen in front of them.

Sure, the organizers of UC Irvine’s women-oriented series “Standing in a Different Light: No Longer Silent and Invisible, a Woman Seizes Her Moments,” have other reasons for showing the film Friday night. The film’s female heroines are interesting and realistic, but, beyond that, “sex, lies, and videotape” uses video as a metaphor for a society that just can’t stop exposing itself.

There are four people who make things go in “sex, lies, and videotape.’ Ann (Andie MacDowell) is the beautiful housewife, repressed and itching for a connection with somebody, anybody.

John (Peter Gallagher) is her lawyer husband, a huffing, puffing yuppie who may not be able to satisfy her itch but is good at taking care of his own.

John gets all the scratching he needs from Cynthia (Laura San Giacomo), Ann’s sex-scarfing sister. They meet at lunch to set the bedroom on fire. Their surprisingly guiltless affair is as volcanic as Ann and John’s marriage is frozen.

The last, and most curious, side of this romantic rectangle is Graham (James Spader), John’s old friend and something of a weirdo under his placid, I-never-got-out-of-the-’60s facade. He’s the one with the video cam; Graham loves to tape people, especially girlfriends, revealing the most hidden tidbits about their trivial lives. Ann can’t stop blabbing once Graham hits the on button.

Soderbergh, who also wrote the screenplay, tells the story with a lot of talk. Too much, sometimes. His commentary--that our modern world has become depersonalized and that video is just another feature of our displacement and isolation--can come across as smug and overplayed. It’s as if Soderbergh thinks he’s the first filmmaker to come up with a brainy idea.

But getting past that isn’t hard, mainly because the idea of video as both symbol and surrogate in the ever-increasing complexity of our environment was intriguing when “sex, lies, and videotape’ was first released and remains so.

There’s also snickering humor, sometimes bordering on the perverse, that tempers the I’m-so-smart tone. The performances (especially by San Giacomo and Gallagher) are funny too; they work their characters into comic frenzies of self-absorption.

Not much to laugh about, but enough to enjoy, with Graham as well.

Spader, a too-soft actor who always looks a little ill to me, is just right for this squirrelly role. Spader’s Graham is a true obsessive, a guy who would rather touch a camera than a warm body. In other words, he’s the perfect guide to lead us into the Video Age.

* What: Steven Soderbergh’s “sex, lies, and videotape.”

* When: Friday at 7 and 9 p.m.

* Where: The UC Irvine’s Student Center Crystal Cove Auditorium.

* Whereabouts: Take the San Diego (405) Freeway to Jamboree Road, and head south to Campus Drive and take a left. Turn right on Bridge Road and take it into the campus.

* Wherewithal: $2 to $4.

* Where to call: (714) 824-5588.

MORE SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Short Films From Latin America

(NR) This series, which runs through May, presents films that illuminate the lifestyles and heritages of people in Latin America. Films screening today deal with the masculine and feminine roles in Latin America. Starting at 7:30 p.m., five short movies will be shown: “The Men of Mal Tiempo,” “Filmminutos,” “And What Does Your Mother Do?,” “The Bogeyman” and “Miss Universe in Peru.” Included with museum admission of $4.50 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, and $1.50 for children ages 5 to 12. Free for children under 5. Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. (714) 567-3600.

America’s Favorite Places

(NR) Producer Ed Lark will present this film, which focuses on many of the natural and man-made wonders of the United States. Friday at Orange Coast College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, (714) 432-7880. $7 in advance and $9 at the door. Part of Orange Coast College’s “Armchair Adventures.”

El Norte

(R) This movie depicts the lives of a Guatemalan brother and sister who seek a better life in the United States after their lives crumble at home. Part of a film series dealing with multiculturalism in the movies. Wednesday at UC Irvine’s Crystal Cove Auditorium at 7 p.m. $4 for general admission, $3 for UCI faculty, senior citizens and non-UCI students, and $2 for UCI students. Sponsored by the UCI Film Society.

Alice

(PG-13) Woody Allen’s story of a woman trapped in a loveless marriage who finally takes charge of her life, with a little help from some herbal potions. May 12 at UC Irvine’s Crystal Cove Auditorium at 7 and 9 p.m. $4 for general admission, $3 for UCI faculty, senior citizens and non-UCI students, and $2 for UCI students. Sponsored by the UCI Film Society.

Student Film and Video Festival

(PG-13) This festival, sponsored by Orange Coast College’s film and video department, is celebrating its 25th year. The two-hour program will be May 12 at 8 p.m. at OCC’s Fine Arts Recital Hall, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa, (714) 432-5922. A $3 donation will be taken at the door.