Relax…It’s Just Sex

Writer/director P.J. Castellaneta shows the romantic ups and downs of a small circle of friends—mostly gays and lesbians, but with a sprinkling of token heterosexuals. There’s a certain amount of film-school awkwardness, with characters speaking directly to the camera and the author’s message underlined a good deal more emphatically than necessary. Also, let the title be a warning; Castellaneta deliberately peppers the film with provocative scenes of soft-core sex. Still, Castellaneta leavens his activism with flashes of disarming wit, and he deftly shifts gears from comedy to affecting drama. The fine ensemble includes Jennifer Tilly, Mitchell Anderson, Lori Petty, Cynda Williams and Serena Scott-Thomas.