Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 15, 2025

“The Joy of Sex” was released in 1972, offering an illustrated manual for carnal activities to help illuminate taboo subjects. It was a popular sex education tool and literary event, billed as a “gourmet guide to love making.” It wasn’t built for a screen adaptation, but Hollywood had to try, especially during the post-“Porky’s” rush of teen horndog cinema, attempting to bend the material into an R-rated comedy for adolescent audiences. 1984’s “Joy of Sex” brings in director Martha Coolidge (fresh off 1983’s “Valley Girl”) to help add some dimension to inherently flat material, but there’s not much she can do with the project, which is a lifeless offering of juvenile antics and concerns, at times barely even making sense. “Joy of Sex” is a DOA offering of shenanigans, and while a bit of effort is made to disrupt the usual in this type of entertainment, it’s not enough to support a mess of a movie.

It's a new year at Richard M. Nixon High School, and best friends Leslie (Michelle Meyrink) and Melanie (Lisa Langlois) are ready to address their virginity. While she’s the daughter of Coach Hindenberg (Christopher Lloyd), Leslie is freshly motivated to live life to the fullest after a mole causes melanoma concerns. The pickings at school are limited, inspiring Leslie to sample the selections, causing all sorts of humiliating situations for the young woman. Alan (Cameron Dye) is also out to lose his virginity, and while pals Max (Charles Van Eman) and Dittman (Robert Prescott) make light of the mission, the senior is determined to get something going, embarking on his own odyssey of carnal pursuit that mostly leads him to disaster.

The screenplay for “Joy of Sex” is a mangled creation that’s interested in episodic misadventures for the characters, also dipping into subplots, often without warning. It’s all over the place, but the central idea of two teens on the hunt for their first intimate relationships is clear, it’s just not carefully managed by the production. Leslie’s arc of concern is most bewildering, as mole spotting takes the hypochondriac to the doctor, who clearly explains to the character she has nothing to worry about. However, Leslie panics for some reason, inspiring her quest to find a partner and finally experience the beast with two backs. This muddying of motivations is a common occurrence in “Joy of Sex,” also infiltrating Alan’s experiences, but the picture is mostly concerned with putting teens in comedic peril, gently leaving coherency behind.

Jokes try to fly fast and furious in “Joy of Sex.” Coolidge isn’t known for her comedy chops, and that’s perfectly evident here, bringing network TV- style broadness to the screen (oh yes, there’s use of a whoopie cushion). “Kwazy” antics are ordered up, but many of these ideas are stunningly lame, including a weird running gag that has Max and the boys glueing things around the school, adding sex toys to hallway displays or making sure a projector can’t be lifted off a shelf. And there’s the addition of Farouk (Danton Stone), an exchange student from Abu Dhabi who becomes the Long Duk Dong punchline of the feature. Even by 1984 standards, it’s awful. More abrasive nuttiness emerges from Pittman, finding Prescott possibly under the impression he was making a radio play, and Colleen Camp portrays Liz, an oversexed classmate who’s not exactly the easy target she initially appears to be. “Joy of Sex” eventually reaches a point where Coolidge explores Max and the bros lighting their farts on fire at a drive-in theater, which takes a dumb movie and briefly turns it into something insufferable.

Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as a "brand new 4K restoration from its original camera negative." "Joy of Sex" looks fresh and film-like throughout the viewing experience, delivering bright colors on period outfits, which provide distinct primaries. School signage and decorative additions around living spaces and a bar area are also defined. Skin tones are natural. Detail is strong, exploring skin particulars on the cast and their stages of undress. Clothing is fibrous, exploring a wide range of outfits on adults and teens. Interiors are open for inspection, and exteriors remain deep. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is nicely resolved. Source is in good condition.

Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix offers clear dialogue exchanges in a film that often crowds the track with all kinds of frame information. Scoring supports with defined instrumentation, and soundtrack selections remain fresh, maintaining clear vocals. Sound effects are appreciable.

Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet offers essays by Kristen Lopez, Stephanie Monohan, and Marya E. Gates.

• Commentary features film historian Elizabeth Purchell and film critic Katie Rife.

• "Realities of Filmmaking" (18:57, HD) is an interview with director Martha Coolidge, who was offered "Joy of Sex" at the very last minute, replacing the original director of the film, also left with an incomplete script. Looking to steer the story into a female perspective, the helmer scrambled to put her take on the material together, ultimately forced by the studio to include gratuitous nudity to help keep the male audience happy (this footage was later deleted). Production difficulties were plentiful for the interviewee, who discusses heavy edits made to the feature and control issues with the producers, becoming quite a learning experience for her. Casting is highlighted, celebrating chemistry and charms, and Coolidge reflects on her struggles, soon turning her attention to "Real Genius."

• "It Was All Cut" (26:20, HD) is an interview with screenwriters Kathleen Rowell, John Salter, and Joyce Salter, who reinforce just how quickly "Joy of Sex" was put into production, allowing for little planning time. The "J.J. Salter" credited on the movie is actually John and Joyce, under orders to combine their names. The creative process is recalled, as the trio used their experiences to inform the writing, aiming for a female POV to the work, initially receiving praise for their efforts. Some production information is shared, including John's employment as the main flatulence provider for sound needs, and the scattered nature of the editing process is identified, inspiring the studio to alter the movie from its original intent. Employment opportunities after the release of "Joy of Sex" are tracked, with John actually going into the I.T. world, eventually working for Paramount.

• "Passionate About It" (16:32, HD) is an interview with actress Colleen Camp, who enjoyed a friendship with director Martha Coolidge, helping to find money for "Valley Girl," using her extensive relationships in the industry. The interviewee tracks the development of "Joy of Sex," which put pressure on Coolidge to conform to producer demands, losing all the freedom and charm of her previous picture. Camp is ready to explore her professional history, highlighting participation in various endeavors, crossing paths with so many people over the years, leaving her with little time to actually delve into the "Joy of Sex" production experience.

• "Grace Under Fire" (13:16, HD) is an interview with actress Lisa Langlois, who initially shares her awareness of the original book, receiving a rare opportunity to work with a female director in "Joy of Sex." The interviewee shares high praise for Martha Coolidge, loving her feminine perspective and professionalism. The conversation moves into skin cancer, examining the medical element of the screenplay, and Langlois confronts the strange ways of her career, nearly cast in "The Terminator," electing to make "The Slugger's Wife" instead.

• "Coolidge" (15:27, HD) is a video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included on this release.

Joy of Sex Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sex in "Joy of Sex" is strangely limited, leaving the feature devoid of subgenre highlights common during the 1980s. Coolidge hopes to get a tad closer to the female experience in the movie, which is a laudable mission, but little of it registers with care, watching Leslie fumble with a diaphragm in a hotel bathroom, and there's a whiplash-inducing turn in the last act, where Leslie and Melanie attempt to seek justice for a pregnant classmate recently kicked out of school. The picture ends up overcrowded as well, as many supporting characters and connections compete for screentime, making the offering feel like an incomplete puzzle. "Joy of Sex" has a few spirited performances (Meyrink, Dye, and Langlois certainly put in some effort), but no laughs and, cruelly, no sense of excitement when it comes to bringing a sex manual to the screen.