Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 1, 2025

Sandpiper Pictures continues its release of films that have either gone out-of-print or are only available overseas with an early Woody Allen movie most have heard of but few have actually seen: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask, starring John Carradine, Gene Wilder, Burt Reynolds, Lou Jacobi, Louise Lasser, Tony Randall, Anthony Quayle, Elaine Giftos, Lynn Redgrave, Heather MacRae, Regis Philbin, Robert Q. Lewis, Oscar Beregi, Pamela Mason, and Toni Holt. Divided into a series of question-titled segments -- Do Aphrodisiacs Work? What Is Sodomy? Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm? Are Transvestites Homosexuals? What Are Sex Perverts? Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate? And What Happens During Ejaculation? -- the film offers a (very) loosely connected string of seven comedy vignettes which, more or less, remain amusing, though may strike you as notably dated. Really it's Allen finding his voice, learning to separate himself from other comedic talents and forge a path all his own. Whether he's successful is a bit irrelevant. It's always fascinating to see the early building blocks of a career, and here we find Allen playing in a larger than large sandbox, given leave to reinvent the comedy wheel every fifteen minutes or so with an entirely different style, approach, storyline and genre. Where else are you gonna leap from a giant breast creature roaming the countryside to a rom-com about a man and a sheep to a deep-dive into the lives and times of sperm?

Inspired by psychiatrist David Reuben's 1969 book of the same name, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask is, by and large, plotless, offering a Monty Python-esque collection of shorts for your consumption. Shakesperean send-up "Do Aphrodisiacs Work?" follows a lowly court jester whose love potion is squandered on a Queen with a particularly oppositional chastity belt. Bestiality-adjacent "What Is Sodomy?" introduces a doctor who falls in love with a patient's sheep... and takes his feelings to the next level. Subtitled Italian film homage "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?" not-so-gracefully tiptoes through the life of a woman who struggles with a sexual disorder in which she can only climax in public. The on-the-nose but daring-in-its-day "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?" digs up a married man who finds he likes women's clothing, a challenge in the late '70s to be sure. Early television gameshow parody "What Are Sex Perverts?" is hosted by Jack Berry and features four panelists who attempt to guess contestants' kinks, after which one lucky guest gets to indulge in their terribly specific perversion. 1950s Hollywood horror spoof "Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate?" goes full Python when a researcher accidentally unleashes a gigantic breast on an unsuspecting populace, and must race to contain the beast before it does too much damage. And "What Happens During Ejaculation?" offers the most literal and absurdist segment as Allen, dressed like a sperm, delivers a glimpse into the microscopic blue collar mechanics of sex.

Click here to read Jeffrey Kauffman's 2017 review of the film, of which he warns "some vignettes are bound to resonate more with individual viewers than others." Adding, "There are some fantastic skits, along with less wonderful ones that still have occasional great bits in them, and then still others that will probably completely fall flat."

Personal note: those sensitive to Allen's alleged sexual crimes may find the film uncomfortable and incredibly difficult to watch, though there thankfully aren't any particular sketches or references involving anything other than consensual adult sex. Proceed with caution.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray release of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex features a decent but dated 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer; the same transfer, it appears, as its UK Arrow-issued counterpart. A touch dark and dim, it could use some contrast tweaking, not to mention a from-the-ground-up overhaul via a remaster that's more careful with its film elements. The worst segment in this regard is the first, "Do Aphrodisiacs Work," which finds torch-lit interiors taking their toll on the photography. Softness abounds as a result and the vignette fails to give the film a good first impression. There's no print damage or significant marking to speak of thankfully, but the grain field isn't all that refined and strikes me as an image produced on the cheaper side of things. Detail is pretty good when the film's lighting is generous (as it is by the time we reach "Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching Orgasm?") but delineation continues to suffer the minute contrast grows stingy again (as it occasionally does in "Are Transvestites Homosexuals?")

Crush isn't uncommon either, both in terms of dark, shadowy backgrounds and even blacker objects in sunlight (the scarf in screenshot #3), and minor ringing is present as well (the edge between scarf and shirt in the same screencapture), producing slight edge halos when the image is more vibrant. It's not terribly distracting per se, but each issue adds up to a bigger overall problem. Fortunately, colors are strong and primaries are vivid, without anything in the way of poorly saturated flesh tones or other similar shortcomings. Some non-coitus faces are a tad flushed and abnormally pinkish, but it's hardly at stake. Viewed in a properly lit environment, things are even less problematic, as the movie is given leave to embrace a more filmic appearance, particularly as the vignettes move forward. Earlier segments seem to struggle more than later chapters, although that may simply trace back to each vignette's drastically different palette. By the time Allen is dressed like a sperm, the video presentation is (subjectively) more pleasing to the eye, with fine detail popping nicely.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex also features a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround track that's faithful to the film's original sound design. There isn't any LFE support or rear speaker activity to comment on obviously, but the mix nevertheless does a fine job drawing the listener into its soundscape with crisp, clean sound effects (tinny though the era's tone may be) and bright, playful music. Dialogue is clear and intelligible, neatly nestled within each segment, and prioritized without incident; never overwhelmed by any of the other soundscape elements. Even so, I can't help but assume a proper remaster would also elevate the lossless audio mix to new heights. There isn't much in the way of hiss or noise floor to point to, but there is a dullness to some of the sonics that highlights the film's age. Will Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex ever be a likely candidate for such a remaster? It's doubtful, but Allen fans can dream.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Forget everything you always wanted to know about Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask. Sandpiper's Blu-ray release doesn't feature any supplemental content other than the film's theatrical trailer. It would have been nice to see a featurette or documentary digging into the writing process, since the film is a very unique take on the book upon which it's based, but so it goes. If Sandpiper could simply begin adding extras to their releases, the value of each Blu-ray would make it far more appealing.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask is a prickly, hit-or-miss comedy that probably pulled more laughs in its day than it does in good ol' 2025. Then again, sensitivity is on the decline, so who knows what people will laugh at, appropriate or inappropriate. It nevertheless remains a lesser Allen work -- one more in line with the tone and tenor of 1971's Bananas and the films of Monty Python than anything that defined Allen's 1980s and '90s catalogue -- and should be approached accordingly. Sandpiper's Blu-ray release is a bit better thanks to a decent video presentation and solid DTS-HD Master Audio mix, but it too could use some updating. A proper remaster would go a long way, as would any number of extras. If the distributor would simply begin adding new supplemental content to their releases (hell, hire a few film historians for a day and record new commentary tracks) it would go a long, long way to helping filmfans get more bang for their buck.