Overview
A man grapples with love and life choices in the heart of Paris.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- witty
- melancholic
- introspective
- quiet evening
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an ambitious, intelligent, and emotionally rich examination of romantic and intellectual indecision, despite its considerable length.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Paul's academic and romantic decisions remain entangled as he debates his doctorate, career, girlfriend, and other lovers.
Paul's long-standing relationship with Esther is complicated by his connections with Sylvia, Patricia, and other figures in his social world.
The film places Paul among professors, doctoral work, and romantic circles in Paris.
Its 181-minute runtime and emphasis on Paul's many decisions create an expansive, talkative examination of love and adulthood.
Films like My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument, and why
The Mother and the Whore
Intellectual romantic drama centered on emotional indecision, overlapping relationships, and an educated urban protagonist
A Christmas Tale
French relationship drama with talkative introspection, romantic uncertainty, and a searching male central character
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Ensemble romantic drama exploring desire, commitment, and the instability of adult relationships through psychologically detailed characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Arnaud Desplechin
- Release Date
- 1996-05-01
- Runtime
- 181 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (63)
Cast
- Mathieu Amalric
- Emmanuelle Devos
- Emmanuel Salinger
- Marianne Denicourt
- Thibault de Montalembert
- Chiara Mastroianni
- Denis Podalydès
- Jeanne Balibar
- Fabrice Desplechin
- Hélène Lapiower
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument about?
- An expansive French romantic drama follows an indecisive academic caught between professional ambition, inherited despair, and a web of intimate attachments.
- What is My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument.
- What did critics think of My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an ambitious, intelligent, and emotionally rich examination of romantic and intellectual indecision, despite its considerable length.
- Which films are like My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument?
- Films with a similar feel include The Mother and the Whore, A Christmas Tale, and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
- How long is My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument?
- My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument runs 181 minutes.
- Where can I watch My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument?
- In United States, My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument streams on Criterion Channel.
