Yes, God, Yes
Year: 2020
Director: Karen Maine
Starring: Alisha Boe, Natalia Dyer, Wolfgang Novogratz, Allison Shrum & Timothy Simons
Runtime: 76 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 07/12/20
Director: Karen Maine
Starring: Alisha Boe, Natalia Dyer, Wolfgang Novogratz, Allison Shrum & Timothy Simons
Runtime: 76 mins
BBFC: 15
Published: 07/12/20
Ten sex comedies were a dime a dozen in the late 90’s and early 00’s with films like American Pie leading the pack. They were raunchy, outrageous, and usually very funny if very stupid. But as one generation of teenagers grew out of that comedy, and the next generation came of age and box office numbers for that type of film dwindled the genre eventually went the way of the dodo. Now teen comedies deal with generally quite sensitive subject matter and are often more coming of age tales laced with humour, rather than a series of stupid jokes connected by a tissue thin plot akin to teen comedies of old.
Netflix’s Yes, God, Yes attempts to bring new life into the teen sex comedy whilst also playing by the rules of more recent teen comedies like Booksmart. But does it manage to adequately balance the awkward sexual encounters with a more nuanced and sophisticated style of storytelling?
Alice (Natalia Dyer) is a high school student who is beginning to notice urges of a sexual nature, most notably by watching the sex scene in Titanic on repeat. The thing is that Alice doesn’t know what to do about these urges because she’s Catholic and her entire exposure to sex education is being indoctrinated into believing that to act on any sexual urges outside of wedlock and solely for the purpose of procreation is a sin and will land her a one way ticket to hell.
She becomes the subject of ridicule at school when a rumour begins to get spread about her and another boy in her year engaging in a sexual act together. In an attempt to try and purge these feelings she has and prove to her teachers that she is pure of heart she decides to go on a bible retreat.
However once Alice arrives it becomes very clear to her that she is not the only person who is having sexual urges and is perhaps the only one of those people not acting on them.
Netflix’s Yes, God, Yes attempts to bring new life into the teen sex comedy whilst also playing by the rules of more recent teen comedies like Booksmart. But does it manage to adequately balance the awkward sexual encounters with a more nuanced and sophisticated style of storytelling?
Alice (Natalia Dyer) is a high school student who is beginning to notice urges of a sexual nature, most notably by watching the sex scene in Titanic on repeat. The thing is that Alice doesn’t know what to do about these urges because she’s Catholic and her entire exposure to sex education is being indoctrinated into believing that to act on any sexual urges outside of wedlock and solely for the purpose of procreation is a sin and will land her a one way ticket to hell.
She becomes the subject of ridicule at school when a rumour begins to get spread about her and another boy in her year engaging in a sexual act together. In an attempt to try and purge these feelings she has and prove to her teachers that she is pure of heart she decides to go on a bible retreat.
However once Alice arrives it becomes very clear to her that she is not the only person who is having sexual urges and is perhaps the only one of those people not acting on them.
Yes, God, Yes is an enjoyable film but it’s not as funny as I was expecting. When I went into the film, I expected a scathing critique of Catholicism with some raunchy but awkward sex scenes. Instead what the film delivers is less in your face. There’s not an awful lot of sex involved, a couple of masturbation scenes and a blowjob is really all it boils down to, and the criticism of religion is not necessarily directed at Catholicism itself but more in the sense of you shouldn’t take everything adults tell you as fact because in reality they don’t really know anything more than you do.
Where there is comedy it does land, but less in a laugh out loud kind of way and more in a relatable and shameful groan because it’s something you’ve said or done yourself without thinking about it.
The performances in this film are fantastic. Dyer is so great in this film. Some of you may know her as Nancy from Stranger Things but this is a completely different role for her. Alice is an introvert who is going through a really tough time and she knows that nobody around her will help, so to see her go on this journey of self-discovery and acceptance is truly something and Dyers dedication to the character really shines through.
Timothy Simons is also fantastic as Father Murphy, one of Alice’s teachers and the leader of the bible camp. Despite him never having any jokes, he is by far the funniest actor in the film just from his facial expressions and timing. The dynamic he has with Dyer as well is perfect and not only makes involving just the two of them very tense, but also very funny.
Yes, God, Yes is not the revival of the teen sex comedy I was expecting but it does approach it with a level of intelligence and originality I never expected in the genre. Whilst it may not leave you in fits of laughter, its poignant message and philosophical insights will give you a warm feeling on the inside and a great bump of self-confidence. So if you like a heavy dose of Catholic abstinence with your sex comedies then you’re in for a real treat.
Where there is comedy it does land, but less in a laugh out loud kind of way and more in a relatable and shameful groan because it’s something you’ve said or done yourself without thinking about it.
The performances in this film are fantastic. Dyer is so great in this film. Some of you may know her as Nancy from Stranger Things but this is a completely different role for her. Alice is an introvert who is going through a really tough time and she knows that nobody around her will help, so to see her go on this journey of self-discovery and acceptance is truly something and Dyers dedication to the character really shines through.
Timothy Simons is also fantastic as Father Murphy, one of Alice’s teachers and the leader of the bible camp. Despite him never having any jokes, he is by far the funniest actor in the film just from his facial expressions and timing. The dynamic he has with Dyer as well is perfect and not only makes involving just the two of them very tense, but also very funny.
Yes, God, Yes is not the revival of the teen sex comedy I was expecting but it does approach it with a level of intelligence and originality I never expected in the genre. Whilst it may not leave you in fits of laughter, its poignant message and philosophical insights will give you a warm feeling on the inside and a great bump of self-confidence. So if you like a heavy dose of Catholic abstinence with your sex comedies then you’re in for a real treat.