A group of strangers from different countries end up on Rio's beaches. Seeking self-fulfillment, they look for answers to existential questions. Yet it isn't until their different paths cross that they begin to understand why they came.
Rio Sex Comedy charts the misadventures of expatriates in Rio in their bungled search for both personal pleasures and social justice. Each character reveals a different aspect of the fabled city, from Rio high society to favelas. Charlotte Rampling is an English plastic surgeon determined to subvert anyone from going near the knife. Irène Jacob is a French anthropologist whose political correctness is upstaged by more carnal ambitions. Bill Pullman is a befuddled American ambassador who flees from his responsibilities into one of Rios most dangerous favelas. There he becomes co-opted by the schemes of Fisher Stevens, favela tour operator and romantic huckster.
Rio Sex Comedy weaves a 1930s Screwball spirit into a freewheeeling 1970s plot with elements of up-to-the-minute documentary reality to produce a singular comedy of (bad) manners. Its a joyously subversive portrait of sexual, cultural and political misunderstanding, an insolent romp that explores why couples may be an anachronism and why philanthropy might be the best choice for the truly selfish.
