Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask Reviews

• CONSUMER ALERT--DVD TRANSFER IS DEFECTIVE!!!!

  
  By A26KX5Z54LFV19 on 2002-03-31
  This message applies to ONLY the DVD version of the movie "Everything You've Always Wanted To Know About Sex".

  This Woody Allen movie is a classic. It's from a time that was far less politically correct than these times so the humor will definitely seem crude. It consists of 4 or 5 vignettes each proceeded by a title. The vignette about transvestites is not very funny whereas the final vignette with Tony Randall & Burt Reynolds is a classic!!

  NOW THEN--> There is one vignette about Woody & a girl who can only achieve orgasm in public. It's very funny.

  BUT

  The vignette is in Italian and is a parody of a Fellini movie. THE ONLY WAY THE PIECE MAKES SENSE IS IF YOU READ THE SUBTITLES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FILM..BUT...

  THE DVD VERSION DOES NOT CONTAIN THE SUBTITLES!!!!!!!!!

  I don't know how this happened, but on my DVD, it was all spoken in Italian with NO subtitles!!! And there was no way to access English subtitles in the DVD menu! It makes absolutely no sense and the humor is totally missed without the subtitles! This inexcusable error destroys the enjoyability of the entire DVD!!

  If you have the VHS version, stick with it.

  DON'T BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!!!!!! And write to United Artists or whoever put out this flawed DVD and tell them to fix it.
  
  

• Very, Very funny. Not as durable as most Allen flics.

  
  By A20IIR0422G3A5 on 2005-05-06
  `Everything you always wanted to know about sex* (*But were afraid to ask)', written and directed by Woody Allen is Allen's third `triple credit' movie after `Take the Money and Run' and `Bananas', and his first with a large, `Big Name' cast. But unlike later movies such as `Interiors', `Hannah and her Sisters', and `Crimes and `Misdemeanors', this cast is probably less likely to have been assembled for the honor of working with Allen than for the very typical Hollywood casting strategy of filling a large number of roles which appear on the screen for a short time with recognizable faces, so you instantly know that Lou Jacobi, for example, is playing a very bourgeois, very middle class Jewish burgher who, we quickly discover, has a yen to dress up as a woman. We make the similar connection with Tito Vandis as a middle eastern shepherd, John Carradine as a mad Dr. Frankenstein-like scientist, Gene Wilder as a quirky and up-tight doctor and Tony Randall as a prim and very button down control room supervisor.
  
  Allen's stock character is so well known by this time that among the four characters he plays, at least one is totally against type, where he has a part in a `La Dolce Vita' parody, in Italian with subtitles and all, as a character very similar to that of Marcello Mastroianni, in situations stolen directly from Fellini's junk drawer.
  
  Here, Allen comes closer to Mel Brooks' style than in any other of his movies, going so far as to share Gene Wilder (a frequent Mel Brooks star) and a Mel Brooks parody subject (Frankenstein). Like Brooks, there are many patently improbable or impossible situations cooked up merely for the laughs. Later in their careers, Brooks and Allen diverge primarily with Allen's concentrating on literally deathly serious subjects with jokes while Allen stays with plots and situations which are light and humorous through and through.
  
  Since both parody and visual humor are Allen strong points, he has a field day with not one but six different situations where the objects of parody are:
  
  Aphrodisiacs and Fools in Medieval Castle
  Sheep and Sodomy
  Cross Dressing
  TV Game Shows, Homosexuality, and Bondage
  Monster Movies
  Science Fiction / Antacid Commercials
  
  While I think this movie does not hold up as well as almost all of this other early movies, it's great fun to see personalities and actors such as Regis Philbin (as himself), Robert Walden, and Anthony Quayle. Lynn Redgrave and Burt Reynolds in small roles. The parodies may not work that well with audiences under 30 who have no memory of TV shows such as `What's My Line' or of Italian movies from Fellini or Antonioni.
  
  What is amazing is how totally unerotic the whole movie is. For the life of me, I don't see how it deserved an R rating except that young viewers may simply not see past the very unexplicit scenes involving sexual subjects to the total absurdity of the situations. This rating is probably a demonstration of the fact that the mere mention of sodomy/bestiality, homosexuality, bondage, and infidelity are seen as more dangerous to discuss than explicit sex. The bottom line is that while there is virtually nothing in the movie that is erotic to an adult, there is much which may be dangerous for an unprepared subteen to see.
  
  The hard part of evaluating the movie in the long run is how well Allen's typically clever humor outweighs the thin and cheaply filmed parodies, where there is no attempt at all to hide the tongue in cheek (see Mel Brooks) attitude of the movie. In the end, this film is probably better (funnier) than `Love and Death' but not quite as totally inventive or funny as `Take the Money and Run'.
  
  
  

• Inconsistent... but brilliant at times

  
  By A27PSZX2SE0B51 on 2000-08-13
  I found this to be a very hit-or-miss affair. The scenes which Woody doesn't appear in ("Are transvestites homosexual?", "What's my perversion?", and "What is sodomy?") miss his comic touch. Granted, Gene Wilder is deliriously funny as a man in love with a sheep (shouldn't the segment have been called "What is bestiality?"), but the other scenes never rise above bad Saturday Night Live-style parody. The cross-dressing scene goes for cheap and easy laughs, while the tired cliché of a game show turned upside down has only one funny moment (the rabbi's wife grimly feasting on a plate of pork).

  When Woody does appear in a scene, the film comes alive. The 'Woody' character works perfectly in an anthology about the confusing nature of sex, because that for me is the essence of his character. His sexual confusion and manic personality kicks every situation into a higher gear. The Fool he plays in the first scene - a hapless borscht-belt style comic transported to a medieval court - delivers great line after great line in ridiculous old English ("TB or not TB, that is congestion"). His Fellini-esque Fabrizio (in "Why do some women have trouble achieving orgasm?"), confused about the frigidity of his newlywed wife, plays it cool in his Mastroianni sunglasses and world-weary Italian. But you know this guy is a hapless shnook anyway, when his wife can only get turned on for sex when it's in a public place. His Victor Shakapopoulous (sp?) saves the world from - yes it's true - a giant "tit" (size 4000X for those of you scoring at home).

  But the most wonderful scene is the last one, "What happens during ejaculation?" Taking a cue from "Fantastic Voyage", we see the bureaucratic inner workings of one man's body, including the control tower (conducted by Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds), the stomach (trying to process an unexpected order of fettuccini), the tongue (lubricated and rolled-out just in time to receive a kiss), and the penis (powered by sweaty men in workman's overalls). Woody shows up as a sperm, having second thoughts about ever volunteering for duty ("I hear some guys smash their heads on a hard, rubber wall!"). It is a great piece of satire, towering over the lukewarm parody of the rest of the pieces. Something tells me this last scene would have made a great feature-length movie itself.
  
  

• just a silly funny move

  
  By A2ACA4E0MH47W3 on 2003-05-12
  Don't listen to Adi's review, calling the film "juvenile"
  Adi should watch some of today's teen exploits to find a true juvenile movie.
  This film was far beyond its time, and is a SPOOF, like many comedies. If you don't believe most of the reviews, just rent it first........have a few drinks, and you'll laugh hard......

  this is the one movie that made me "discover" the talent of Woody Allen, and I'm glad I did.
  
  

• "My gynecologist told me to avoid excitement!"

  
  By AKMEY1BSHSDG7 on 2006-01-20
  Every bit of Woody Allen's film is funny, but Lou Jacobi's performance in "What Is A Transvestite?" has to be one of the most hilarious performances in cinema history! For that alone, you must buy this DVD for your collection.
  
  
  
  
• Everything reviewed
  By A1AN331DNY1EEB on 2005-08-18
  This movie is just as funny now as it was when it was made
  
  
• Some incredibly memorable funny scenes
  By A1D2GEP07I0VSS on 1999-08-17
  This movie is a series of short films, which makes it mostly good and partly bad. Who can say they ever expected to see Woody Allen dressed up as a giant sperm? However, the first film set in medieval times is classic Woody Allen stand-up type humor, Woody at his best. My other favorite short film is the one about the sheep. Gene Wilder does an amazing job of acting so serious and puzzled when the man says "I am in love with a sheep" and he says "...O-hhh...." I LOVE it!
  
  
• Not Sheepish?
  By on 2001-01-21
  Totally insane film, loved the vignettes about everything once held taboo about sex... and the best scene is Wilder and his sheep! The look on Elaine Giftos' face when she catches Gene in bed with his black lingerie-d lamb, and he says, "It's not what you think it is..." is totally priceless. Okay, some people don't think bestiality is funny, but if you're from the Midwest, or hell, just rural America, where men are men, and sheep are sheep, well... it rocks your funny bone.
  
  
• CEREBRAL HUMOR, EVEN AFTER 20 YEARS!
  By AU03GLDS5TM0M on 2000-05-22
  This movie had me rolling on the floor, it remains an outrageous piece of comedy even in the year 2000. It is cerebral and irreverent.

  Just think about "crossdreesing" - it still raises a few eyebrows in the year 2000. Imagine what it may have been like in the 70's. This film and its satires and parodies may have helped to bring out a thing or two "out of the closet."

  I am a Gene Wilder fan and the story about him and the sheep is just too hysterical. As is the story about the spermatozoa.

  Get a couple of your brainy friends to come over some night and watch it over beers and pizza. It is great fun.
  
  

• movie that makes one feel young again
  By on 1999-01-18
  My old friend Woody is as good as he can get. The striking feature of the film is the personality that is being developed and actually disclosed in "fleshly" forms. The film is the natural study guide for any would-be masochists or Pfizer addictives. Beware!!! the more you watch it, the more you need it. Once you pop it you can't stop it. So enjoy!
  
  
• Garbage.
  By on 2000-09-20
  Huge disappointment from an otherwise consistent, high-quality period in Allen's career. I'm no prude, but the whole exercise is simply base and comes across as simply dirty as opposed to dirty and clever - even the Austin Powers films display greater sexual wit. The "Fantastic Voyage" sendup is definitely the highlight, but nary a laugh is to be found in the remainder of the film. And references to gang-rape and child molestation simply are not funny in any context.
  
  
• It's quite a memorable film.
  By ATTVFK8F8SVW4 on 2000-03-31
  Unlike most of the films I've seen in my life, this is one that I remember scenes. Even though I saw it in the 70's. You've got to put this film in the perspective of the 70's to fully appretiate how earthshaking and disturbing this film was. You've also got to appretiate Woodie Allen.
  
  
• gene wilder got robbed...
  By on 1999-06-21
  if it wasn't for the godfather coming out the same year(1972) and three of its supporting actors being nominated for the oscar(caan, pacino, duvall), gene wilder would almost certainly have been nominated for best supporting actor for his performance in "what is sodomy?" and may have even won... joel grey was nominated and won for cabaret that year, but eddie albert in heartbreak kid..? over wilder..? come on... wilder's 23-second take when stavros milos tells him he's "in love with a sheep" is one of the funniest things i've ever seen in my life... and when he's yelling at the customers in the deli... "i'm not a waiter..! don't call me 'waiter'..! i'm a doctor..!" oh, my god... wilder got robbed, plain and simple... an overlooked and underacknowledged masterpiece... on par with his work in wonka and young frankenstein...
  
  
• This is one funny movie.
  By A3S98L5B1SR9P1 on 2005-02-10
  To tell you the truth, I didn't rent this movie to learn everything unasked about that three-letter-word. But I thought that it was outrageous. Outrageously good. And I have to say that if you want real proof that Woody Allen's movies are great, then you have to start out with this movie. This is as crazy as a Woody Allen movie--or possibly any sex comedy--gets.
  
  
• Which way are you going, Woody?
  By A16CZRQL23NOIW on 2005-10-14
  This irreverent and almost surrealistic film finds Woody in plenitude of humor and ingenious; he truly played hard with this free comedy which worked out as a magnificent exorcism exercise about the hidden dragons around this subject; every one of the vignettes is built around the sex and its implications but narrated in such caustic and bitter approach that it will be hard for you to avoid laugh and smile; because this is far to be a common place; it 's a true hitherto in what intelligence, refinement and good spirits you can imagine.
  
  Watch for Gene Wilder and his weird passion: it 's an unforgettable classic that has not aged just a bit. On the contrary, It tends to improve through the years.
  
  One of the five gems of Woody!
  
  
• Silly Allen is good Allen
  By A19JYLHD94K94D on 2006-04-16
  `Everything You Always To Know About Sex' is probably the last time Woody Allen really fooled about and made an ass of himself with minimal artistic pretences, and given the mediocre quality of recent disposable duds like `Melinda & Melinda' and `Anything Else', it's quite refreshing. True, this 1972 collection of extremely lewd skits isn't quite as impressive and thought-provoking as some of Allen's best works, like `Annie Hall', `Manhattan' or for that matter even the follow-up `Sleeper'; yet there's an energy to `Everything You Always Wanted To Know' that Allen has not shown for at least a decade, and in that light it's still entirely classic.
  
  If anything, the film is closest in its spirit to early Allen films like `Bananas' and `Sleeper', but it actually feels more like a British comedy, and is clearly influenced by shows like `Monty Python's Flying Circus' and `The Benny Hill Show', in it's chaotic and rude humor. Still, Allen's mark is all over the skits, even when he isn't in them. One of the best of the bunch, in fact, is the skit titled `What Is Sodomy', which stars Gene Wilder. Influences of both Monty Python and Mel Brooks can be felt in it, but it's entirely Allen; and still, it's Wilder that makes it perfect. Even more Pythonish is the fabricated game-show `What's Your Perversion'.
  
  The best and most memorable is the last skit, entitled `What Happens During Ejaculation', in which Allen does a wonderful portrayal of a sperm, and we catch a glimpse of the action in the control room of a man's body during sexual intercourse. The skit is brilliantly satirical and ranks with Allen's best moments, nearly overshadowing the rest of the film. Still, it's not without it's unforgettable moments; other than Wilder, also worthy of special praise is John Carradine who is wonderful as the ultimate parody of a mad scientist, and let's not forget Woody Allen as a fool in the Middle Ages misquoting Hamlet and getting his hand stuck up the Queen's chastity belt, and his wonderful performance as an Italian Casanova.
  
  So no, it's not quite one of Allen's best films, but it's close. The humor is dirty, yes, but not childish; Allen's intelligence is there, but it's much lighter than `Annie Hall' or other classics, and like a Monty Python or a Mel Brooks it bears multiple viewings. A movie that's funny as hell, essential for Allen fans, and recommended for all.
  
  
• A gem
  By on 1999-02-14
  This has to be one of the best Woody Allen movies besides Sleeper. I would highly recommend this to anyone. The part about certain reproductive functions is the best.
  
  
• Sex Ed. at it's best
  By A2UOY8UC1GWGK4 on 1999-06-29
  Woody Allen really puts laughter in understanding all of the genres of sex. Most favorites part were with Gene Wilder has an affair with a sheep. And Tony Randall working at controlling a man's brain during an orgasm.
  
  
• A waste of time
  By A1VQ4V2I0VIJA4 on 2000-11-07
  Love Woody, but this film is not one of his best, or even close. Depending on how close to the surface your funny bone is, this is one of those movies in which you might occasionally say "that was clever" or "that was witty", but you'll rarely laugh out loud. The only time I laughed out loud was during one skit when Woody introduces himself as "Victor...Victor Shakapopolis". Other than that, the entire movie was pretty much laughless. The last segment, for example, is a classic and is the best one, and certainly deserved to be included, yet I can't imagine too many people rolling on the floor - it's simply not funny, just very clever. Not to say that's a bad thing, but we know Woody can make us laugh and he just doesn't do it in this film. The sheep sketch with Gene Wilder and the "What's My Perversion" sketch are in pretty bad taste, which might be ok if they were funny at all, but they're not. Too bad. It's one of the Woodman's few misfires. I can only recommend the DVD version if you have a few bucks to spare someday and are desperate for something to watch. The best thing about the film was some fantastic guitar/organ jazz played during a few skits. And the musicians/songs weren't even identified in the credits!
  
  
• The Rabbi Scene is worth the rental fee alone
  By A2BVMFF1GCRXK8 on 2001-05-05
  The part in the What's My Line spoof(What's My Perversion)when the rabbi tells game show host Jack Barry (how he made a straight face throughout his cameo role is beyond me) about his sexual fantasy and then acting it out on stage had me rolling for days. I've seen my share of movies, this is the funniest scene in cinema I have ever viewed.
  
  
• Debatable..
  By A15RB66290XLRH on 2001-07-02
  You have your shares of hilarity and boredom in this film. There are some entertaining segments, such as the first one, "Do Aphrodisiacs work?", such as "....cop a feel?" the medieval queen asks when Woody massages her breasts,when he says "TB or not TB, that is congestion" (blatantly a great satirical joke on Shakespeare's 'To be or not to be, that is the question', or when Woody says to the king when he catches him looking up the queen, 'Remember, when you told me if I was in town, I should look up your wife?'It's hilarious. But, the segment with Gene Wilder, "What is Sodomy?" was just boring and weird. There weren't any funny jokes, and there were awkward pauses between Gene and the sheep...it just didn't fall in place. Plus, the idea of having sex with a sheep is truly disgusting. If this segment had jokes, it would cut the mood and relax the awkward pauses between Gene and the sheep. "Are tranesvities homosexual?" was all right, but it was entertaining watching the man dress up in women's clothes and parade around the room mimicking women's movements. "Why do women have trouble reaching an orgasm?" is okay. It's not funny. But it's great fun seeing Woody smoke a cigarette incessantly and make movements that are supposed to be suave, I guess. The segment with the mad sex scientist, the beautiful blond, and Woody, is hilarious!! Especially when the tit escapes and Woody figures out how to capture it by trapping it into a giant bra. This is undoubtedly a satire about breasts. "What's My perversion?" was terrific, especially when the rabbi is entertained by a hooker and his wife is forced to eat pork at his feet. It's simply hilarious! The very last segment is something NOT to miss. Who could ever miss Woody's sperm costume and his wonderful line: "I heard guys slam into a wall of hard rubber!" and "What if he's masturbating? I'll end up on the ceiling!" Don't ever miss this piece of hilarity. Sure, you MIGHT get bored at certain segments, but don't worry- there are more hilarious segments than there are bad segments.
  
  
• Get your hands out of your pockets.
  By ADQQE8RSV6KFP on 2005-08-18
  It's obscene to think you thought about reaching for your wallet to purchase this dvd.
  
  This movie was very boring with its juvenile sex humor. The director didn't even want to be named and the obviously made-up "Woody" Allen is given credit.
  
  "Woody". Ha! Ha! That's rich.
  
  
• Singular Hiccup in an Otherwise Great Series of Comedies
  By A3CIYAHOSN4F0Z on 2006-07-03
  From 1969's Take the Money & Run to well into the 80's, Allen created a series of comedies that established him as one of the preeminant writer/director/actor one-man-bands in the history of moviemaking. An argument can be made that Allen didn't really run out of gas until the mid nineties and the Soon-Yi & Mia Farrow public relations debacle trashed his image forever. The danger of filming a series of skits is, inevitably, some skits are going to be stronger than others. Thus, EYAWKASBWAA is a mixed bag with generally blah results. Allen starts the movie in fool's motley and ends dressed as a sperm. In between is some really funny stuff and some really tedious stuff.
  
  
• Hit-and-miss, but some monster hits
  By A1LOT93D6QXZ0X on 1999-08-12
  Worth renting just to see the hilarious segment where Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds operate a guy's control center while he's on a date. I also liked the bit where John Carradine plays a mad sex scientist. The skit where Gene Wilder falls in love with a sheep was strange, but then again, it was a pretty sexy sheep.
  
  
• They Don't Make Them Like They Used To
  By A1QQPIUXWD4G0Z on 2005-05-26
  Woody Allen's 1972 collection of short films under one roof covering various taboos related to sex such as infidelity, bestiality, perversity, S&M, etc. Although most of the stories are so so, the best two are with Gene Wilder and Rosy the sheep and the last one covering the complexities of human physiology prior to sex co-starring Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds. This is definitely one of Woody Allen's funniest films filled with all the low-brow humor that made him famous.
  
  
• One of Woody Allen's Funniest Films...
  By A34D06JL7LC6MU on 2006-12-28
  Before "Annie Hall," Woody Allen's comedy was very different. Rather than the mature quips that any Woody Allen fan is used to post-Annie Hall, most of the movies made before that are wacky, hilarious, and out-there bits that show (nowadays) Woody Allen's comedic range. "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*But Were Afraid to Ask" is a series of vignettes with Allen "answering" (supposedly) real questions. Usually in an unconventional, yet hilarious, way. Here is a brief synopsis of each:
  
  1. Do Aphrodisiacs Work-Starring Allen and Lynn Redgrave, this story takes place near the Renaissance Period. Allen plays The Fool, the king's comedian who fails to impress anybody with his humor. The reason for this is, likely, because The Fool is written as a modern man placed in ancient times. Desperately wanting to have relations with The Queen (Redgrave), he gets a potion from a sorcerer before meeting his untimely end.
  
  2. What is Sodomy-Gene Wilder plays a doctor who is shocked to learn that an Armenian shepherd has had sex with one of his sheep. When the man brings the sheep in, the doctor finds himself falling in love and conducting an affair with a sheep. Sounds morbid, but is just used as a (slightly insane) metaphor.
  
  3. Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm-This vignette is in Italian (I think) and stars Allen as a Marcello Mastroianni-like Italian man who has recently married. Problem is, he can't give his wife an orgasm...Except in a public place.
  
  4. Are Transvestites Gay-In this one, a man goes to his daughter's fiancées parents house for dinner with his wife. Once there, he goes to the bathroom but finds himself in the room of the parents trying on the mothers clothing. Everything is fine, until he is forced to flee out a window and finds his purse snatched outside.
  
  5. What Are Sex Perverts-In black & white, this vignette is about a gameshow in which people come on and reveal their perversions. Watch for a young Regis Philbin (looking very different, but with the same unmistakable voice) as himself.
  
  6. Are the Findings of Doctors, Who Do Sexual Research, Accurate-This stars Allen as a man traveling to see a world-famous sexual research doctor. Picking up a pretty blonde reporter along the way, he finds the man to be insane and attempting to use them for his experiments. Pretty soon, a giant killer breast is on the loose.
  
  7. What Happens During Ejaculation-This stars Burt Reynolds and Woody Allen as some workers in a man's body, controlling what he does. Allen plays a sperm that is scared about being "sent out" into the world.
  
  The film contains lots of metaphors, lots of double-entendres, and lots of hilarity. Despite it's subject matter, it's not graphic. There's no nudity or anything. The movie has a large cast and is easily one of the funniest films Woody Allen has ever done. Every vignette is good and none of them overstay their welcome (the film is only 88 minutes). The movie is so different from other Woody Allen material that it's possible that people who DON'T like Woody Allen might enjoy this movie. It's one of his finest.
  GRADE: A-
  
  
• Tasteless
  By on 1999-05-20
  What else can I be saying, this movie was the worstest! Here in Russia, we can be making gooder movies with more nudity!
  
  
• Mine Worked
  By on 2002-04-19
  The person bellow probibly dident go into the languages section of his dvd. Mine has subtitles. Feel free to buy as you wish.

  (good move--and sheep!)
  
  

• Worth Seeing, But Not Allen's Best
  By ADB8XCKNSDY5Z on 2005-07-09
  I rented this movie and reference it a lot. Mostly just the beginning part where Allen makes awful jokes like, "Have you heard about the King's new exercise program? It's called taxing the peasants." So the movie starts out pretty good.
  
  Still, the movie isn't jam packed with laughs like Bananas is. It moves a little bit slower than some of Allen's other funny films. It takes its time. Every now and then a big laugh happens, but the laughs are a bit spaced out sometimes.
  
  Gene Wilder is in this movie. I like Gene Wilder. I think in this movie he delivers two big laughs.
  
  John Carradine is in this movie too. Very interesting to see this guy set up opportunities for Woody Allen to deliver punchlines and wisecracks. Even after Carradine mentions the most twisted sexual experiments ever that he's been conducting, all Allen can say is, "I hear you're famous for your potato pancakes."
  
  
• An uneven collection of sketches mixing superb comedy with a dated feel
  By A1OB5L3WMHJAD9 on 2007-09-11
  In the late 1960s one Dr David Reuben released a book entitled EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX *BUT WERE AFRAID TO ASK. Woody Allen's 1972 "movie adaptation" uses the questions of Dr Reuben's question-and-answer format as the titles for 7 comedic sketches all on sexual themes. This was Allen's third conventional film, and his growing importance in Hollywood is evident from the film's all-star cast.
  
  The opening "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?", set in medieval times, has Woody Allen as a court jester who seeks to seduce the queen. Most of the humour here consists of anachronism: the jester's jokes are too bad for even a borscht belt comedian, and the dialogue consists of Elizabethian stylings mixed with sexual terminology and crude slang from the present.
  
  The following sketch, "What is Sodomy?", is for many viewers the very best. A New York City general practitioner (Gene Wilder) is visited by an Armenian shepherd () who begs the doctor to restore the magic to relationship of him and a cherished sheep. What ensues, with the doctor descending ever deeper into madness, is made hilarious by Wilder's committed performance and the dialogue is immensely quotable. Another high point of the film is "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm?". Shot in black and white and with an Italian dialogue, the segment is Allen's hommage to the cool ambience of Antonioni and Fellini. Allen plays a suave, sunglasses-wearing film director who cannot manage to satisfy his wife, played by Louise Lasser, until they begin having risky sex in public places. The fun comes not only in the challenges the man must face in making his wife happy, but also in Allen's ridiculous accent while speaking Italian.
  
  In "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?", Lou Jacobi plays a man who sneaks upstairs while at a dinner party in order to wear his hostess' clothes, and subsequently gets himself deeper and deeper in trouble. It's humorous enough, but one wonders if this segment were stronger when the film was first released. Judging from its high frequency in big Hollywood films of the 1960s and early 1970s, crossdressing must have once been a much funnier concept in that era. The following "What Are Sex Perverts?" is a parody of the game show What's My Line? where a panel of minor celebrities try to guess the perversion of a contestant, who wins $5 for every wrong guess. This is quite funny, but far too brief, as the concept could have been stretched out a bit more.
  
  "Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate?" is a Frankenstein parody where Allen and Heather MacRae play recently acquainted sex researchers who meet a great sexologist (John Carradine), only to discover that he's a diabolical madman. The first half of this segment is pretty funny, as Allen and MacRae make their way through the doctor's castle of horrors. But the second half, when the pair seeks to defeat a giant breast ravaging the countryside, is some of the lamest humour I've seen in some time.
  
  The characters of the last segment, "What Happens During Ejaculation?", are personifications of the organs as a man goes on a date with a woman. The brain is depicted as a NASA mission control, with Tony Randall and Burt Reynolds struggling to coordinate bodily functions. They call down to the stomach (men carting off a newly-arrived load of fettucini), and the genitals (blue-collar joes working an enormous pump), as well as other places. Much here will make you chuckle, such as the captured "saboteur" of the man's sexual ambitions, his conscience, depicted as a priest in a Roman collar, and Allen's performance as a sperm cell terrified of making the leap into the unknown. All in all, however, I find this quite dated as well.
  
  While my overall impressions is that EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX is quite dated, it's funny enough, and the portions with Allen as an Italian lover and Wilder as a befuddled doctor make it worth seeing at least once.
  
  

• Sleeper
• Bananas
• Annie Hall
• Love and Death
• Take the Money and Run (Full Screen Edition)