Today’s media for the middle of your week is 2011 comedy Losing Control. This movie scores the terrible, terrible score of 4/10 on IMDb, but I have to say I actually, really enjoyed this one. It’s not a perfect ten and on movie merit I’d probably give it a 6, but it was fun and creative. And originality in a rom-com counts for almost everything.
Netflix sums it up: Biophysics doctoral candidate Samantha has a detailed plan for a perfect life, but she’s not totally convinced that her boyfriend, Ben, belongs in it. But this is just part of the plot. In fact, the central story surrounds Sam’s postdoc project, a “Y-kill” that can kill off sperm containing the y-chromosome and any diseases carried there. In Sam’s mind this would only be used by parents who want biological children but the father is a carrier of a disease he doesn’t want to pass onto a son. Of course, this also means she has found a way of making sure a couple could only have girls…and this is where the story line gets complicated.
Yes, this imaginary “Y-kill” raises a lot of ethical questions the movie does not go into. But it’s a romantic-comedy. Would you take it seriously if it tried to?
**Before watching the trailer, just know this movie is rated R, and probably not something to watch with your little ones**
The characters are (for the most part) stereotypical, the plot line is unbelievable, and the science is improbable. But it gets points for originality and I had fun with it. Check it out on netflix here.
Seen it? Let me know what you think.
