Sex Tape
By S. Jhoanna Robledo,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Mature, raunchy, but hilarious comedy filled with profanity.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sex Tape
Community Reviews
Based on 11 parent reviews
....
Report this review
Cameron Diaz stars in a bad movie
Report this review
What's the Story?
Married 10 years, Annie (Cameron Diaz), a mom blogger, and Jay (Jason Segel), a music exec, are still in love but can hardly fit in private time for each other because of the fatigue that comes with raising kids and juggling work. To celebrate the pending sale of Annie's blog to a Fortune 500 firm, they ask Grandma to take the kids and carve out some time for each other. Eager to rekindle their passion, they decide to make a sex tape. But when Jay forgets to erase it and it's accidentally uploaded onto the cloud, which anyone that Jake has gifted an iPad to can access (and there are many, since he cycles through iPads with regularity), the couple must use all available means to retrieve it before their reputations -- and Annie's blog sale -- are wrecked.
Is It Any Good?
For a movie that's ostensibly about sex, Sex Tape has a lot of heart. Diaz and Segel make a fine team, imbuing their roles -- larger-than-life characters though they may be -- with warmth and accessibility. Diaz is especially good in this film; her timing is great, and she's so likable, even when her character veers toward extremes. It's remarkable, too, how Annie and Jay are drawn as true equals instead of the standard-issue opposites-attract trope that Hollywood trots out in nearly every romcom. Bravo.
Nonetheless, by the time it's two-thirds along, the movie feels like it's flogged the same joke to death. Plenty of references are made to the embarrassment of having the mailman view the tape, and yet we never see him (or her), making all those allusions superfluous. A new complication thrown in toward the end feels unnecessary, and the ending is unsurprising, to say the least. And yet -- and this is the film's biggest appeal -- you feel good about Annie and Jay in the end. The premise may be tired, but they're not.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Annie and Jay ultimately learn -- not just about sex, but about marriage.
Because Sex Tape is about sex, you can also discuss the role of sex in movies. What is the movie's take on sex within a long-term marriage?
An iPad figures heavily into the film's plot. Is this just storytelling or in-your-face product placement?
Movie Details
- In theaters: July 18, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: October 21, 2014
- Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Jack Black
- Director: Jake Kasdan
- Inclusion Information: Latinx actors
- Studio: Columbia Pictures
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug use
- Last updated: June 2, 2023
Inclusion information powered by
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Best Classic Comedy Films
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate