94% The Sessions

All Critics (79) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (5)

It sends viewers out of the theater with a heightened sense of the physical and a real feeling for all the things that sex means in human life.

The achievement of this simply told, exceptionally fine film is the clarity with which it portrays the drama of a good soul in an inert body.

Hawkes' performance is the must-see hook of The Sessions, but Hunt gives this funny, touching movie its soul.

Character actor John Hawkes is often cast as a frightening rustic (Winter's Bone, Martha Marcy May Marlene), but he gives a tender and witty performance here as Mark O'Brien.

The joy of The Sessions goes beyond sexual healing. It makes physical intimacy far more a matter of the heart, and you won't be alone wiping an occasional tear.

O'Brien was the subject of an Oscar-winning short "Breathing Lessons," and it seems likely that "The Sessions" will receive a few nominations of its own. It deserves them.

Uneven and perhaps a little too tidy as it aims to promote one man's extraordinary spirit. It is John Hawkes and Helen Hunt, however, who are most worth seeing.

Practically ignores everything about O'Brien's life except as it relates to his sexual odyssey, turning the life of the man into little more than a curio.

A powerful expression of our common needs, fears, and consolations.

For better and for worse, The Sessions has 'crowd-pleaser' written all over it.

Neither an issue-pushing disability drama or a crude, American Polio-style sex comedy, The Sessions is sweet and winning - 'feel good' minus the fingers down the throat.

Another dynamite vehicle for John Hawkes, in which Lewin's affecting script overcomes his pedestrian direction.

Skilled direction, a talented cast and a simple but elegant story will garner a lot of sympathy from its targeted, more mature audience.

It offers a relatable depiction of the powers of a positive mental attitude and perseverance in spite of horrendously bad luck. And some Oscar-caliber acting, to boot.

An incredibly low-key and feel-good adult movie about sex that's much funnier than most people are probably expecting, highlighted by a pair of Oscar-caliber performances by its two leads.

A frank exploration of sex and disability, The Sessions compensates for a minor structural misstep with an acute ear for tone and stellar performances throughout.

The bottom line here is that yes, a movie about a physically disabled man makes for one of the sexiest date nights of the year. Unless you're allergic to over-20s.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_sessions/

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