MlleWackjob This is a sex farce where the actual sex is by far superior to the rest of the movie. The title tipped me off, it's too on the nose and unsubtle. The script is entirely about sex. That usually would be very much in my "pro" column. The sex scenes and quick cuts are by far the funniest things in the movie. The problem is, the movie is ENTIRELY about sex. Next to nothing about the characters, the setting, nothing. There are no characters to connect to. Nothing to root for or care about. The plot is incoherent. The acting is broad and unfunny. In a later interview, the director said he wished he had told his actors to play it straight. Amen to that! James Spader, as Roger Klink (har har), gives a jittery, gaspy performance. Talk about playing against type. As the film went on, it bugged me that he never seemed to speak in complete sentences. Spader, Bill Murray and Catherine O'Hara, all excellent comic performers, are weighed down by the clumsy script and terrible pacing. In the small part of Dr. Klink's ex-wife, Megan Mullalley gives by far the best performance, in part because she has the most rounded, interesting character. You know there's something wrong with a film when a minor character is better written than the leads. Lara Flynn Boyle as Dr. Paige, an unstable marriage counselor is awful. The rest of the cast is capable, nothing special.If you have nothing better to do, this movie is an okay diversion, but don't go out of your way.

Bob_the_Hobo I love anything with Bill Murray, or James Spader or Catherine O'Hara, so this seemed like a good deal. It was.We have James Spader as a psychiatrist, who gets referred a patient played by Melora Walters, who is having marital troubles with her husband, played by Jay Mohr. Spader is turned on by Walters, however, and breaks any existing doctor-patient relationships when they have elevator sex. The ensuing events have Murray and O'Hara as two lawyers trying to level the damage done.As another reviewer said, this reminded me very much of a French farce. "Speaking of Sex" uses the same brand of humor used by say La Cage Aux Folles, a lot of dry, goofy laughs that may be hysterical to some and irritating to others.Bill Murray gets top billing, even though he's in probably half of the movie. Still, he's the best part of the movie and had me laughing the most. It's a Bill Murray performance with his type of lines. Spader was also funny, though, as our star, he was easily outweighed by Murray or O'Hara, who is equally good. Walters is the only part of this I found a bit irritating. Mohr is alright.If you're not expecting too much and are in for an ultimately mediocre hour and a half, you could do worse.

funkie_sparkels yeah, sure it's very screwball. But people should just take SoS for what it is and laugh with it. I did, and very much enjoyed it. All the performances were good, I thought Lara Flynn Boyle, Bill Murray and Catherine O'Hara were excellent. But I can't believe no one has mentioned Megan Mullally's performance. Well, she is a favourite of mine, so I'll admit a bias there, but she was good, incredibly sexy. I thought she fitted the role really well and added the little something extra this movie needed. A lot of the lessons in the movie can be taken into real life - that communication and honesty are the keys to a successful marriage. And I also like happy endings. Overall I thought it was an easy time-waster and a good laugh.

vanjamarin This film really left me wondering for quite a while after I saw it... First (as trying to be as self critic as I can), I thought something was wrong with me... Maybe I've missed something... Some irony... Some parody... Some...whatever...But... NO!!! Unfortunately not!Reading all other User Reviews, I can only say that comedy taste of Americans and us, Europeans is obviously sooo different... (Which is totally OK)...But, from my point of view, I must say I am shocked with what a crap they spent their money on!?!? I mean, there are so many great stories that never find a producer or studio, so many talented directors, young comedy actors...And, instead of trying to figure some of them out, since they are already throwing away a bag of money, they do the worst possible thing...Choose ridiculous scenario (that has NOTHING in it), they assemble a Golden Cast of actors and then they produce Catastrophe...I mean, what was that James Spader story in this movie??? Him trying to act as Jim Carrey on Acid (why the hell didn't they take Carrey for the role then, and not the usually great James Spader, who looks ridiculous in this "slap-stick of 22nd century" comedy)...Right, as said in many reviews before, Bill Murray and Mrs.O'Hara try to save the film, but not enough space and room and good lines and inventive directing and nothing...Everything is so flat!!! Just dig out the lightning in the movie... Those flat faces, no shadow anywhere (not even on those in depth walls – In just one shot I spotted some Venetian blinds shadow on the wall behind the actors ----- oh, what a try!!!)...Only decent looking scenes (in matter of Production design, light and direction) are the scenes taking place in this "statement taking room" where we have entire cast in the scene....Don't know... Maybe those years I've spent on Movie and Theater Academy made a movie geek out of me, and maybe I am watching too many movies and maybe I am watching them too "technically", but, again, I really tried hard to find at least one simple tiny good detail about this film... And I found none...I even found NO reason to even try to get interested in making the one --- and I really wonder how on earth did those producers succeed in lining up all those people --- from director to the last actor --- to appear in such a nothing!!!!No offence, please!!! Just my point of view!!!