Movie Review: “Fifty Shades Uncovered” Reveals Nothing

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The bestselling adult novel of all time by E.L. James is now a global phenomenon. This new film lifts the lid on a cultural phenomenon that just won’t be restrained anymore.

I vaguely remember the start of this bizarre obsession over the “romantic” BDSM trilogy “Fifty Shades of Grey.” The books were everywhere, even in the local supermarkets, assaulting your eyes with their campy book covers, a mask here and some handcuffs there, hinting at an underground world of power play. I decided to see what the hype was about and read a few pages and quickly put the book down, not because of its racy content but rather the insufferable lack of literary merit. I had the same experience when attempting to read the “Twilight” series, and it comes as no surprise that “Fifty Shades of Grey” stemmed from a fan-fiction based on “Twilight.” Nevertheless, there’s no denying that these books and the film are hugely popular. Sonia Anderson’s documentary “Fifty Shades Uncovered” attempts to bring to light why the books and film are so popular and explain the cultural mainstream phenomenon they have become when before books and films concerning BDSM were more or less taboo.

Anderson’s documentary is nearly as bad as the books. It is a cross between an E! True Hollywood Story and a series off the Investigation Discovery Channel that includes kitschy music and garish reenactment acting. The documentary didn’t really explain any sort of phenomenon; it simply repeated facts, figures, and the fact that your stereotypical suburban mothers can’t get enough of it, deeming it “mommy porn.” The documentary was in a standard interview format bloated with clips of fake bondage scenes, E.L. James signing books and posing for the press, and clips from films that seem entirely unrelated. What does Powell & Pressburger’s 1948 film “The Red Shoes” have to do with anything?

The interviews weren’t entirely awful and at times were funny as many were poking fun at the series and the cultural phenomenon that has sprung from it. Jenny Éclair was particularly funny. The rest of the interviewees were a mix of Playboy Playmate Emily Agnes, Tessa Gaukroger & Marina O’Shea, Dominatrix Mistress Josephine, and even the editorial director at Amazon Sara Nelson. The documentary seemed more like a promotional tool to get more people in on the erotic romanticism action. It would have been far more tolerable if this film were cut down to 30 minutes rather than having to endure it for over an hour.

Available now on DVD and VOD