Yes, God, Yes Movie Review

Major Spoilers are included in this movie review. Please read with caution.

On October 26, 2020, I watched the movie Yes, God, Yes. Starring Natalie Dyer from Stranger Things, the movie is set in the mid-2000’s and centered around the main character Alice’s sexual awakening and religious suppression.

Alice is a junior in high school navigating life and growing more curious about sex—having piqued interest when she watched the sex scene from Titanic. She is a good-hearted teenager, but she’s also very horny. Shortly after, a false rumor goes around saying Alice “tossed salad” with a boy named Wade, which everyone—including the teachers—believe is true for some reason. Alice doesn’t even know what the term means—which is where the comedic aspect kicks in—and is desperate to find out.

Honestly, the movie is really about Alice wanting to masturbate for the pure pleasure of it, but she keeps being told that it’s a sin and “God’s always watching”. She also seems to be watched constantly by her classmates, teachers, and parents. Her self-consciousness is also bogged down by the constant pressure to never “sin”.

The camera angles are used effectively whenever she is “caught” thinking about doing it or doing it with a broom—rubbing it against herself for a clear visualization on what I mean by that—in the kitchen by a nun. This also added to comedic aspect of the movie, especially when she found another use for her vibrating cell phone.

After discovering it was this kind of movie, I decided to keep going for how the movie handled the idea of wanting to masturbate and what most children experience when they’re dealt an “abstinence only” education instead of learning how to use condoms and protected sex. Also, she learned her friends and teachers were deep hypocrites regarding the lessons, sins, and pressure they were forcing upon her. While what she learned was indeed valuable, I felt like the ending was rushed—Yes, God, Yes, she can masturbate without feeling judged— but I did like the open interpretation on how the world changed for her.

Overall, I would recommend watching Yes, God, Yes for a quick laugh and interesting life lesson on how masturbating is good for you. It’s currently streaming on Netflix and was in the Top Ten at one point—the reason I decided to even watch it to begin with. Thanks for reading this movie review, everyone! I really do appreciate the support!