| Carmen (Katrin Weisser), a successful girl in her late twenties, has had enough. Her boyfriend is cheating on her, and at work her clients seem to believe that sex should be offered as one of the company services. She and her best friend Laura (Sandra Leonhard)- who has just discovered that she is pregnant and her boyfriend doesn't want to take responsibility-decide that where there is sex, there are lies; the two seem inseparable. After many tears and even more bottles of wine, Carmen comes up with what she believes is the perfect solution to her problems with men. She puts an ad on the Internet asking to meet a sensitive, intelligent man with a good sense of humor ... but he must be impotent. Carmen gets all sorts of reply from different men as Laura volunteers to disguise as her to screen all of them. When Carmen finally decides to meet one applicant for the last time, he accidentally meets David (Tim Williams) whom she thought to be the applicant. Since David is attracted to Carmen, he decides to play the part. Until they finally fall for each other. But what if Carmen finds out that David is lying to her all along?
The movie's storyline follows the formula of Hollywood romantic comedies only that this one tries to be incredibly credible in putting aside sexual pleasure from romance. Perhaps the inconsistency in Carmen's characterization makes the movie's theme incredible. The camera shots are a bit crude and lighting seems to be too dark in most scenes. But In Search of an Impotent Man is formulaically successful in providing laughs and romantic chills in some poignant scenes. Although the dialogue can be trite at times, there are enough touching and thrilling moments that make the movie quite a good watch.
The film's story concept is commendable in exploring romance and relationships minus sexual pleasure. True enough, In Search of an Impotent Man has made its point that a healthy relationship is better built if it does not start with sex. There are a lot of things a couple could do aside from sex that would solidify their relationship. But there are some inconsistencies in the film's plot that makes their message a conflicting one. While Carmen is looking for an impotent man, here she is seducing David and helping him cope with his conceived "problem". In the end, still, the movie romanticized premarital sex amidst its message of love and sacrifice that makes the entire feature a bit disturbing.
(Date
Reviewed: January 14, 2005)
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