One Paragraph Movie Review: The Decline of the American Empire

Three hundred and twenty-first film: The Decline of the American Empire, or ‘Le Declin de L’Empire Americain’ given its French Canadian origin, or Let’s Talk About Sex if you want to get all Salt N’ Pepa about it. A bunch of academic blokes talk about sex while preparing dinner, a bunch of academic women talk about sex while working out at the gym, then they all eat a meal together and we find out how bad they are at the relationship part of relationships. Like The Big Chill with fewer likeable characters or suicides, this 1986 movie is set, culturally and sociologically, at a level that only the mid-80s can sustain. It doesn’t realise it’s sexist, stereotype-heavy, and a bit racist because at the time it was probably profoundly progressive. At its heart, it’s a film about how everyone looks for something specifically personal out of their sex lives, but is ultimately disappointed. Fun! Non. Deux trout pies out of cinq.