Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson) suffered from multiple diseases as a child, his health improving when he ventured out doors taking in all that nature had to offer. His father (John Lithgow) was a preacher who talked against the desires of lust, even going as far to say that the zipper is the worst invention for sinners as it is easy access to naughty bits.

Pressured into becoming an engineer by his father, Kinsey goes against his father’s wishes and enters the field of biology, particularly in the field of gull wasps, an obsession that will fulfill his life for the next 20 years collecting a million specimens. He becomes a professor at his university falling in love with student Clara (Laura Linney) eventually marrying her, which leads to an awkward wedding night where their first night of sexual bliss becomes an extremely painful affair for Clara. Frustrated they see a specialist who informs them that Clara needs a minor operation to stop the pain, which is completed successfully resulting in an ultra-active and healthy sex life for both.

When the students at his university campaign for a sex course, Kinsey jumps at the chance to teach sex not as ‘morality posing as fact’, but as an important scientific issue which he believes should be approached head on. Disappointed with the lack of knowledge his students have about sex, Kinsey embarks on the biggest sex questionnaire across America. With his findings he releases a book entitled “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” which makes him a national sensation while prompting a moral outcry from religious groups and unwanted attention from the press and J. Edgar Hoover.

Writer/director Bill Condon has crafted a very well made biopic in Kinsey which is straight forward in its depiction of sex (containing both heterosexual and homosexual themes) and is not a film for people who are squeamish with the subject, (a scene where Liam Neeson and Peter Sarsgaard lock lips will push boundaries for some.)     

Liam Neeson proves his talent after a string of mediocre performances delivering a fearless portrait of a unique individual, a straight laced man (described by his wife as ‘churchy’) whose obsession towards his work creates friction towards his family and friends who he starts to treat more like lab rates than human beings.

Laura Linney continues to prove why she is one of the best actresses working today (her spot on impersonation of John Lithgow has to be seen to be believed), while Peter Sarsgaard, Chris O’Donnell, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow and Oliver Platt are excellent in supporting roles.