Pyrates

This article is about the 1991 film. For other uses, seePyrates (disambiguation).

Pyratesis a 1991comedy film,starringKevin BaconandKyra Sedgwickabout a couple who experiencepyrokinesisafter having sex.Directed and written by Noah Stern, the film was released onVHSon December 18, 1991.

Pyrates
Directed by	Noah Stern
Written by	Noah Stern
Produced by	Jonathan Furie
Starring	Kevin Bacon Kyra Sedgwick Bruce Martyn Payne Kristin Dattilo
Cinematography	Janusz Kamiński
Edited by	Gib Jaffe
Music by	Peter Himmelman
Distributed by	Act III Communications Vestron Video
Release date	December 18, 1991(1991-12-18)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

When Ari (Kevin Bacon) and Sam (Kyra Sedgwick) first meet they realise that there is chemistry between them. When they have sex with each other, they experiencepyrokinesis.However, as their love affair does not run smoothly, their friends Liam (Bruce Martyn Payne) and Pia (Kristin Dattilo) intervene to try to help. At one point when Sam is angry with Ari, Liam helps Ari to serenade her with a rendition theSoft CellsongTainted Love.

Cast

• Kevin Baconas Ari
• Kyra Sedgwickas Sam
• Bruce Martyn Payneas Liam
• Kristin Dattiloas Pia
• Buckley Harris as Dr. Weiss
• Deborah Falconeras Rivkah
• David Pressman as Carlton
• Raymond O'Connoras Fireman
• Byrne Pivenas Rabbi Lichtenstein
• Ernie Lee Banks as Wee Willie
• Mickey Jonesas Wisconsin Del
• Petra Verkaikas Basia
• Clifford Davidas Advisor
• Tom Adamsas Calico Jack (uncredited)

Reception

Reviews forPyrateswere generally negative. Derek Adams ofTime Outcriticized the film for containing few laughs, stating that "the first time a lava lamp explodes, the second time round though, and the joke's already gone too far".No Byline stated that 'with the principals coming across as charmlessly self-centred, this cornucopia of copulation is, despite an attempt at kooky episodic to-camera chit-chat, more hot air than hot stuff'. A reviewer forTV Guidestated that 'as a contemporary love story,Pyratesis well conceived and often sharply observed'.TheTV Guidereviewer stated that 'BaconandSedgwickare both charming and exasperating as the modern lovers, a combination of self-centered innocence and mannered brittleness that rings all too true'.TheTV Guidereviewer also commented that 'the supporting cast, particularlyBruce Martyn PayneandKristin Dattiloas the friends who find themselves drawn into Ari and Sam's affair despite their best efforts to stay out, are uniformly good' but 'their work is undercut at every turn by the aggressively clever style' of the film'.Ultimately, theTV Guidereviewer thought that 'the director's smirk colors virtually every scene, and it's tough to get past'.The effect, in their view, 'is that of a glossy thesis film by a precocious and talented student who still needs to learn that all witty ideas are not created equal'.John Ferguson stated thatKevin BaconandKyra Sedgwickgave 'it their best shot, but director Noah Stern doesn't take the original idea anywhere interesting and, in the end, it's far too self-consciously wacky for its own good'.Ferguson also stated that 'Englishman abroadBruce Martyn Payne- he would drop the middle name forPassenger 57- offers solid support as Bacon's best chum'.Another reviewer stated that the film was a 'real oddity' and part of a 'peculiar mini-spate of films about pyrokinesis' in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which began withFirestarter.Leonard Maltindescribed the film as 'crudely scripted' and 'ineptly directed'.Another reviewer described the film as 'forgettable'.AllMovie's Sandra Brennan awarded the film a score of one and a half stars out of five.

Home media

The film has been released on DVD in Australia.

External links

• PyratesatIMDb
• PyratesatAllMovie
• PyratesatRotten Tomatoes