A Complete History of My Sexual Failures
Encyclopedia
A Complete History of My Sexual Failures is a British
documentary film from 2008. It was directed by Chris Waitt
who also starred as the main character and composed some of the music. The film was part of the "World Cinema Documentary Competition" at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
.
giving the film 56%. Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety
, was generally positive, and commended Waitt for his willingness "to appear a complete (though endearing) ass", while suspecting he was not quite as dumb as he appeared. The Independent
, The Independent On Sunday, The Times
, The Financial Times and The Sun
all gave the movie four stars.
The Daily Telegraph
s Mike McCahill, doubting the veracity of Waitt's story, concluded that "It's a display of gross bad faith both as documentarist and lover, and its subject probably deserves never to get laid again."
On the other hand, Toby Young
writing in The Independent
, despite thinking that "If Waitt was an employee of the BBC he'd be dragged before a series of committees before being tossed into the street" nonetheless concluded that "this doesn't matter at all" as the film was "so funny I thought I would pass out".
, and produced by Neal Moritz from a script by Jay Reiss. Chris Waitt
and Henry Trotter (producer of the original documentary) will executive produce.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
documentary film from 2008. It was directed by Chris Waitt
Chris Waitt
Chris Waitt is an independent filmmaker, musician and writer from Brighton, England. He was born to a half-Scottish mother, Hilary, and a Northumbrian father, Martyn, though he grew up mainly on the south coast of England in the quiet seaside town of Worthing-by-Sea.-Films and Television:After an...
who also starred as the main character and composed some of the music. The film was part of the "World Cinema Documentary Competition" at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
2008 Sundance Film Festival
The 2008 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 17, 2008 to January 27 in Park City, Utah. It was the 24th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. The opening night film was In Bruges and the closing night film was CSNY Déjà Vu.-Films:...
.
Plot
Filmmaker Chris Waitt sets out on a quest to find out why his romantic relationships have ended in complete failure. Tracking down most every one of his former lovers, he finds a general resentment, stemming from his constant unreliability. He then sets out to test different approaches that will prepare him for true love, and a lasting relationship.Reception
Reviews of the movie were mixed, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving the film 56%. Dennis Harvey, writing for Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, was generally positive, and commended Waitt for his willingness "to appear a complete (though endearing) ass", while suspecting he was not quite as dumb as he appeared. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Independent On Sunday, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, The Financial Times and The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
all gave the movie four stars.
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
s Mike McCahill, doubting the veracity of Waitt's story, concluded that "It's a display of gross bad faith both as documentarist and lover, and its subject probably deserves never to get laid again."
On the other hand, Toby Young
Toby Young
Toby Young, MA, FRSA is a British journalist and the author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, the tale of his stint in New York as a contributing editor at Vanity Fair magazine...
writing in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, despite thinking that "If Waitt was an employee of the BBC he'd be dragged before a series of committees before being tossed into the street" nonetheless concluded that "this doesn't matter at all" as the film was "so funny I thought I would pass out".
Remake
In March 2009 Variety announced the Universal Pictures had bought the remake rights for the movie, and intend to produce a narrative feature remake to be directed by Jay RoachJay Roach
Matthew Jay Roach is an American film director and producer, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents.-Life and career:...
, and produced by Neal Moritz from a script by Jay Reiss. Chris Waitt
Chris Waitt
Chris Waitt is an independent filmmaker, musician and writer from Brighton, England. He was born to a half-Scottish mother, Hilary, and a Northumbrian father, Martyn, though he grew up mainly on the south coast of England in the quiet seaside town of Worthing-by-Sea.-Films and Television:After an...
and Henry Trotter (producer of the original documentary) will executive produce.
External links
- A Complete History of My Sexual Failures at allmovie
- A Complete History of My Sexual Failures at Rotten TomatoesRotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
- Interview with Chris Waitt about A Complete History of My Sexual Failures at Eye For FilmEye For FilmEye For Film is an online film magazine based in the United Kingdom. It launched in August 2006 and has been growing ever since. It is updated with new content on a daily basis.-Features:...
- Chris Waitt's official website