Sex Appeal marks the fifth American High film for Hulu as The Shabbos Goy filmmaker Talia Osteen directs her first narrative feature.

Behind the camera, filmmaker Talia Osteen is no stranger to comedy. I know that I’m supposed to be talking about Sex Appeal but I must stress that The Shabbos Goy is one of the funniest short films I have ever seen. Honestly, I want to see a feature film made from the short film! If you haven’t watch it yet, you’re in luck. Enjoy the short in all of its entirety below:

Avery Hansen-White (Mika Abdalla) is looking forward to STEMCON. It’s the highlight of her year, more so than even prom itself. She’s in a long distance relationship but let’s just say that she’s not the person you want to ask advice when it comes to sex. And this, my readers, is where the comedy gets off in running. If Avery isn’t excellent at something, she will not go forward with it. To become excellent with her sexuality requires Avery to ask questions of her classmates. It also means asking the friend zoned Larson (Jake Short) if he’ll be her test subject. If you’ve seen romantic comedies, you sense a feeling that something is going to happen between them. Does Larson have feelings for her or someone else? Can Avery go forward and not feel like she’s cheating on her long-distant boyfriend?

If there’s anything I’ve learned from the movies, relationships are not only about sex. It’s not just about the way two people go at it with each other. There’s more to a relationship than just sex alone.

In terms of the comedy itself, this film is no different from The Shabbos Goy in that it’s uncomfortable at times. I don’t mean this in a bad way but more of a cringe comedy way. It goes without saying that comedy is so subjective. I think younger audiences will like the film more so than older audiences. Everyone will have their own unique viewing experience. How someone experiences their viewing of Sex Appeal is going to be different from another person. It’s just the way it goes.

There’s bound to be an audience for Sex Appeal but this critic openly admits to aging out of the target demographic. This isn’t to say anything negative about the film because it’s well-made. There’s certainly a conversation to come about from watching it.

DIRECTOR: Talia Osteen
SCREENWRITER: Tate Hanyock
CAST: Mika Abdalla, Jake Short, Mason Versaw, Paris Jackson, Margaret Cho, Fortune Feimster, Rebecca Henderson, Tate Hanyok, Hayden Szeto, Artemis Pebdani

Hulu will start streaming Sex Appeal on January 14, 2022.

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