MovieChat Forums > The Sessions (2012) Discussion > Why is everyone criticizing Cheryl's hus...

Why is everyone criticizing Cheryl's husband in this movie?

posted 12 years ago by Airman87
15 replies | jump to latest

**ADULT CONTENT AHEAD - ADULT LANGUAGE USED**

Everyone is trying to say there's an apparent lack of intimacy, and Cheryl is never truly happy in the film with her husband.

Of course they're not intimate!

Who would find sexual pleasure in their partner having sex with handicapped and medically ill individuals for a living because they otherwise could not have sex?

Who'd want to perform cunnilingus on a woman who got ejaculated into by someone with a disease three hours earlier?

If the movie wants to be bold and make sex surrogates seem so believable, how about logic be commonplace and people understand what a believable relationship would probably look like.

[–] devirginizer83-1 12 years ago

Who'd want to perform cunnilingus on a woman who got ejaculated into by someone with a disease three hours earlier?

Hahaha...this is so silly.

Sperm cells can live inside a woman's vagina for up to 30 days. Think about your last hook up. Do you know if she had been abstinent for the last month? How sure are you?

For all you know you've had thousands of other men's boys all over your mouth.

The sheer ignorance and close-mindedness of people still manages to astound me.

[–] Airman87 12 years ago

Hahaha...this is so silly.

Sperm cells can live inside a woman's vagina for up to 30 days. Think about your last hook up. Do you know if she had been abstinent for the last month? How sure are you?

For all you know you've had thousands of other men's boys all over your mouth.

The sheer ignorance and close-mindedness of people still manages to astound me.

Talking about sheer ignorance, sperm only lives for several days inside the vagina. Not 30.

Talking about close-mindedness, the only way your post makes logical sense to insult me is under the pretense I find random women to perform cunnilingus on.

People like you astound me.

See what I did there?

[–] devirginizer83-1 12 years ago

Talking about sheer ignorance, sperm only lives for several days inside the vagina. Not 30.

You're right. It only lives up to 7 days with an average of 48-72 hours.

Sadly, that fact still doesn't make your ignorant post any less ignorant.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jondoe888 12 years ago

Nice, kidd-o. You watched this movie, and are so dumb and heartless as to condemn sex-surrogates? You sound so clueless.
There are many career choices out there that we should be condemning. This job requires a saint, a therapist and an analyst. There is not one scene here where she isn't presented as competent and professional - until she creates the 'sin' of falling for her patient. He in return gave her something she needed. It happens. That transference can work both ways!

[–] swinggold 12 years ago

That struck me too that the movie tries to make the husband, Josh, look like the villain when it's his wife's career that makes him a cuckold. They even make him seem like an aimless do-nothing by stating he's a stay-at-home dad who plays guitar. I think it's natural for any real man to be upset about his wife being a sex surrogate even if he knew what she did before they entered into marriage.

[–] Airman87 11 years ago

After thinking about it for a while, this is more than likely why:

Cheryl's character HAD to be married with a husband, that way she wouldn't be able to marry Mark. Remember, the whole premise of the film is she falls in love with Mark. If they made her single and she was able to marry Mark, then people would've claimed the movie was far too unrealistic, so they gave her a husband.

Because they gave her a husband (love the Cuckold reference), they even had to make that believable too. The solution? Try and portray him as some deadbeat loser husband, that is merely a puppet of his mother impressing religion upon her.

[–] citizenofdis 11 years ago

You do know this movie is based on real people and events? Charyl was really married to Michael Cohen and they had an open marriage until they divorced.

By the way, her current husband was a former client. So not exactly unrealistic for that to happen as it did for her. ;)

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

The lack of intimacy comes from his being more loyal to his mother than his wife. Cheryl intends to convert to Judaism to keep his mother happy, which will, in turn, make him happy. This after umpteen years of marriage.

It's quite clear from the snippets we see of their pillow talk that he is comfortable with her work as a sex surrogate.

I'm not trying to break your heart,
I'm just trying hard not to fall apart

[–] Airman87 11 years ago

I don't recall her ever making a hostile remark about her willingness to convert to Judaism. Can you list specific examples? I know she explains his mother-in-law is the reason for her to convert, but she never seems hesitant at all. In fact from a woman who was raised Catholic but dissociated herself and then cites Catholic religion as the fault of the main character, she seems to be quite willing to convert back into a religion.

Being "comfortable" has nothing to do with approving of something. My college roommate smoked crack, and I was comfortable around it, but that doesn't mean I approved of it.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

Please read my post again; I never made mention of hostile remarks.

You don't seem to get the nuance in the husband being more loyal to his mother than his wife. Also in the film where she tells Mark about her intention to conversion there is no enthusiasm. Rather it is a duty on her part because she wants to make her husband happy.

Her husband tells her that what she's doing is remarkable. That's approval.

I'm not trying to break your heart,
I'm just trying hard not to fall apart

[–] Airman87 11 years ago

You don't seem to get the nuance in the husband being more loyal to his mother than his wife.

Sure don't, because you can't explain where it exists. Where was the specific instance where she feuds with him over converting and rejects it, saying he cares more about his mom than her?

I have no doubt Cheryl's character probably did not want to convert, particularly based on several comments she made about Catholism/religion, but your logic is saying the entire premise for Cheryl's disdain for her husband is that he is 'forcing' her to convert; if true there should've been specific examples.

In a way it could even be argued that Cheryl converting for her husband's sake may be a sacrifice she is willing to make for him, just as he is willing to sacrifice with her profession as a sex surrogate... because in a healthy relationship, there is always give and take and compromise. Unfortunately this film shows little to suggest that from Cheryl's side.

Furthermore, none of your logic negates the unfavorable way the husband was portrayed in the film: a lazy husband that sits around playing guitar all day.

Her husband tells her that what she's doing is remarkable. That's approval.

Still not the same thing. An Army wife who's husband joins the service leaving behind their unborn child may say what he's doing is remarkable, but that doesn't mean she approves of him running away to be a noble and leave her behind to raise the child alone.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

This is going to be my last reply to you as you seem to want to argue with posters rather than engage with the film and discuss it.

Sure don't, because you can't explain where it exists.

She tells Mark why she's converting to Judaism. That's when she says more or less the exact same words that I've written. There are no 'feuds' as well you know (if you've seen the film) so your Q is pointless.

none of your logic negates

Neither was it intended to do so ...

I'm afraid your analogies, to the husband's acceptance of his wife in the film, do not work. The films shows his acceptance and that's that.

I'm not trying to break your heart,
I'm just trying hard not to fall apart

[–] Airman87 11 years ago

This is going to be my last reply to you as you seem to want to argue with posters rather than engage with the film and discuss it.

LOLOL... The irony in the post is so EPIC.

Between the two of us, I'm the only one actually requesting that we bring in specific examples of the film! So far, all you have done is theorized on the emotions of characters and never cited instances from the actual film.

I'm afraid your analogies, to the husband's acceptance of his wife in the film, do not work. The films shows his acceptance and that's that.

"Acceptance"? When did we start talking about "acceptance"???

Of course he accepted it... if he didn't he would've have left!

Approval is what we were talking about.

[–] recalcitrant44 11 years ago

I think he began to act that way because it was different for her. She was obviously getting something out of it as well. Thinking about it was taking up some of her/their personal time. Maybe their relationship had grown stale, like most unions do, and he was jealous that another man could consume some of her thoughts. Maybe he realized that she wasn't real cool with the idea of having to conform to what he wanted, and what he believed in, in order to stay together.

When he read the poem, it must have certainly seemed to him that there was something that went beyond being the clinical nature of what she was supposed to do. So he did the typical male thing. He whined and moaned and got mad. That's what people do.