Kinsey (2004) Details

Plot Summary

Called "Prok" as an adult (short for Professor Kinsey), Alfred Kinsey, Jr. (Liam Neeson) has been interested in biology since he was a child growing up in the early twentieth century, despite the criticisms of such being evil nonsense from his overbearing and devoutly Christian father, Professor Alfred Seguine Kinsey (John Lithgow). Prok goes on to become a biology professor at Indiana University, initially focusing on the study of gall wasps. But those studies, in combination with questions from his students, coming to terms with the needs of sex with his own wife, a former student of his named Clara McMillen (Laura Linney) (whom he calls Mac), and what he sees as the gross misinformation on the subject currently within popular belief makes him change his focus to human sexuality. Many of those gross untruths - as he sees them - are that oral sex and masturbation cause a slew of maladies, which are perpetuated by what is presented in the university's hygiene class taught by Professor Thurman Rice (Tim Curry). With the approval of faculty head Herman Wells (Oliver Platt), Prok starts teaching his own wildly popular marriage course, talking about sex in a straightforwardly academic fashion. When he sees that morals don't necessarily mirror sexual behavior, he decides to conduct a massive sex survey with the assistance of students Wardell Pomeroy (Chris O'Donnell), Clyde Martin (Peter Sarsgaard), and Paul Gebhard (Timothy Hutton). He faces the issue of the funding required for the survey and public and political response to this controversial, and oft seen as taboo, subject. But in conducting the survey, he and Mac also face the issue of their own sexuality in relationship to their marriage, and the emotional and cultural aspects behind it, such as the notion of love.

Notice: This text may contain spoilers.

Release Date

USA

(Telluride Film Festival)

2004-09-04

Canada

(Toronto International Film Festival)

2004-09-12

USA

(Chicago International Film Festival)

2004-10-07

Also Known As (A.K.A.)

Kinsey

(Original title)

Kinsey: El científico del sexo

Argentina

Kinsey

Australia

Certification

Argentina

No data

13

Australia

No data

MA

Brazil

No data

16

Sensitive content guide

For those who's interest is not in the dialog, there is exactly 67 seconds of female partial nudity in the entire film.

A husband and his wife make love twice. Firstly we see them in bed (they are both clothed and completely covered by the sheets). They are both still virgins; he penetrates her (we see some thrusting), but the woman stops him because she is in too much pain. In another scene, they are partially unclothed while having sex, the man is behind the woman; no nudity is shown. We hear them moaning but the scene is very brief.

In one scene, a doctor asks the married couple to indicate him how long is the husband's erect penis, by using an about 20 cm-long measuring rod as example; when the wife indicates that it is longer than the rod, the doctor remarks that "it's a miracle she didn't faint" (referring to that being her first time).

A man undresses in front of another man, then goes to have a shower (offscreen); afterwards he is seen fully naked again as he puts on his pajama trousers. Both scenes involve clear full frontal and rear nudity.

A man speaks provocatively to another man, and asks him if he'd like to try a homosexual experience. They kiss passionately, and later on it is verbally implied that they had sex (the act is not shown). No nudity.

A man asks another man's wife (with the husband present) if she'd like to have sex with him, and she agrees. They are briefly seen on a bed kissing (the man is fully naked and his butt is visible), but sex is not pictured.

Two men are seen shirtless while and after gardening, but this is neither nudity nor sex.

A fully clothed man masturbates in front of two men and climaxes (nothing is seen).

A teenage boy masturbates and moans (we only see his hand moving underneath the blanket). No nudity

Photos of a vagina and an erect penis entering a vagina are shown (very graphic).

Pornographic drawings and photos are shown.

Black and white glimpses of various people having sex are seen. Most of them are married to other people. Bare breasts are shown. A man licks a woman's nipple. A woman kisses a man's chest. No male nudity

A short, black and white film depicting an old woman having sex with a man is shown and discussed. Her bare breasts are seen, but no male nudity.

During the end credits, black and white clips of courting and mating animals are shown.

A man and a woman kiss.

A man and a woman kiss while celebrating their marriage.

A married man flirts with a married woman and kisses her on the neck. It is said and shown that they have sex.

A man says that his first homosexual experience was with his own father at the age of 11 years old. He reports having had sex with half the members of his extended family. He claims to having had sex with thousands of men and women (9500 in total), and hundreds of pre-adoloscent girls (200+) and boys (600+), as well as with 22 different animal species. When he begins to describe what a little boy's orgasm is like, the interviewers interrupt his account.

A young man says he once tied his balls with a rope and jerked off.

A old man speaks about how he was a chronic masturbator when he was 10 years old, and had to wear a very tight belt to prevent him to come into contact with his genitails.

A man jokingly calls his wife a "penis-biter".

A man makes a remark about his "third leg" wanting to work (meaning he wants to have sex).

A young man confesses to a male friend that he is worried by his frequent nocturnal ejaculations.

A gay young man speaks about when his father found him having sex with his lover.

A woman talks about having had an affair with another woman and about how Kinsey's studies helped her put her experience into perspective.

A man mentions that his wife admitted to be attracted to other men.

Awards

Golden Globes, USA (2005)

Golden Globe 2005

Nominated

Best Motion Picture - Drama