# Sex Tape (film)
**Sex Tape** is a 2014 American comedy directed by [Jake Kasdan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jake-kasdan), starring [Cameron Diaz](https://www.edgepedia.org/cameron-diaz) and [Jason Segel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-segel) as a married couple whose private sex video accidentally syncs to a set of iPads they have given away, sending them on a night-long scramble to reclaim it. It reunites the leads and director of *Bad Teacher* (2011) and was written by Kate Angelo, Jason Segel, and Nicholas Stoller.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) • [2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sex-tape-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segal-in-first-trailer-for-new-comedy-9228287.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Jake Kasdan; screenplay by Kate Angelo, Jason Segel, and Nicholas Stoller[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) |
| Lead cast | Cameron Diaz (Annie), Jason Segel (Jay), Rob Corddry (Robby), Ellie Kemper (Tess), Rob Lowe (Hank), Jack Black[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) |
| Release | 18 July 2014 (United States); earliest release 17 July 2014 in EMEA and APAC territories[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/) |
| Box office | $126,069,509 worldwide on a $40,000,000 budget; domestic gross $38,543,473 (30.6% of the total)[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/) |
| Ratings | MPAA R; Australia MA 15+ for strong sex scenes, sexual references, coarse language and drug use[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) • [4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/sex-tape) |
| Critical reception | Metascore 36 on Metacritic, categorized as generally unfavorable[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sex-tape/critic-reviews/) |
| Production | Filmed 9 September through 7 November 2013; producers Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Jay (Segel) and Annie (Diaz) have been married for ten years and have two children; their passion has cooled under the demands of work and parenting. On a night alone, they decide to make a video of themselves trying every position in *The Joy of Sex*, Alex Comfort's 1972 manual, in a single three-hour session.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/sextape) • [7](https://time.com/2991743/sex-tape-movie-review/) The next morning they discover the recording has been accidentally uploaded through a syncing app to the iPads Jay has given as gifts to friends, family, and acquaintances, and they spend the night trying to retrieve and destroy every copy.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/sextape) • [8](https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Sex-Tape-66240.html) Their pursuit involves roping in friends, duping Annie's boss, and eventually dealing with the owner of a porn-hosting website.[6](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/sextape) • [9](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sex-tape-review-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segel-really-don-t-click-9713627.html)
## Production
The project came together at Sony with Kasdan directing from an original screenplay by Kate Angelo, a veteran television writer, with revisions by Segel, Kasdan, and [Nicholas Stoller](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-stoller).[10](https://emanuellevy.com/interviews/sex-tape-starring-cameron-diaz/) • [11](https://www.thewrap.com/the-office-star-ellie-kemper-joins-jason-segel-cameron-diaz-in-sex-tape/) Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and [Steve Tisch](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-tisch) produced under their Escape Artists banner.[12](https://www.thewrap.com/jack-black-will-help-jason-segel-cameron-diaz-make-sex-tape-exclusive-107566/) [Jack Black](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-black) joined the cast in August 2013 for what the studio press described as a scene-stealing cameo as the CEO of a major porn company; Rob Corddry co-stars as a loyal friend who helps the couple.[12](https://www.thewrap.com/jack-black-will-help-jason-segel-cameron-diaz-make-sex-tape-exclusive-107566/) Principal photography ran from 9 September to 7 November 2013.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE)
The production used the fake working title Basic Math because, according to the crew, no one wanted to get involved in securing locations for a project called *Sex Tape*.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sex-tape-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segal-in-first-trailer-for-new-comedy-9228287.html) • [13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1956620/) The film marks the second time Diaz and Segel played an on-screen couple, after *Bad Teacher*.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sex-tape-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segal-in-first-trailer-for-new-comedy-9228287.html)
## Release and box office
[Columbia Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbia-pictures) released the film in the United States on 18 July 2014, after an earliest international opening on 17 July in EMEA and APAC territories; domestic distribution was handled by Sony Pictures Releasing.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/) The domestic opening weekend grossed $14,608,152, and the film finished with $38,543,473 domestically and $87,526,036 internationally, for a worldwide total of $126,069,509 against a $40,000,000 budget.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/) Its largest international markets included Germany ($12,142,792), the United Kingdom ($7,146,281), and Australia ($6,907,216).[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/) Sony's home-video release followed on 21 October 2014.[14](https://www.sony.com/ja/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/14q3_supplement.pdf)
## Reception
Critics were largely negative. The film scored 36 on Metacritic, with 3 positive, 19 mixed, and 14 negative reviews among those tallied.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sex-tape/critic-reviews/) Reviewers repeatedly singled out the leads' lack of chemistry: the *Evening Standard* wrote that Diaz and Segel "really don't click," while crediting [Rob Lowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-lowe), as Annie's coke-using boss Hank, and Jack Black, as a paranoid porn-site owner, with stealing the film.[9](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sex-tape-review-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segel-really-don-t-click-9713627.html) The *Chicago Sun-Times* found "a fun, believable comedy about family life" upended by overly broad attempts to reclaim the tape.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sex-tape/critic-reviews/) A.O. Scott in *The New York Times* argued the film fails as a comedy because of the absence of real conflict or complication.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sex-tape/critic-reviews/)
Two recurring criticisms concerned technology and branding. Reviewers noted the film's heavy Apple product placement, with RogerEbert.com calling it "essentially one long commercial for Apple products wrapped in a toothless, feel-good comedy," and the *Guardian* questioning whether its iCloud-centric plot read as satire or as naive given the celebrity photo-hacking news breaking around its UK release.[15](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sex-tape-2014) • [16](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/04/sex-tape-review-cameron-diaz) TIME's review noted that Apple says the syncing scenario depicted simply cannot happen.[7](https://time.com/2991743/sex-tape-movie-review/) Richard Brody, writing in *The New Yorker*, called the film "resolutely anti-sexy," a romantic comedy whose laughs come at the expense of the sex.[17](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-resolutely-anti-sexy-sex-tape)
## Censors and classification
The film received an R from the MPAA and ran 94 minutes in its classified form.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE) • [4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/sex-tape) Australia's Classification Board rated it MA 15+ on 2 July 2014, with consumer advice of strong sex scenes, sexual references, coarse language, and drug use.[4](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/sex-tape) The British Board of Film Classification passed a 91-minute version with advice for strong sex references, sex, very strong language, and drug use.[18](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sex-tape-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znzkzmdm)
## Note on the title
A separate 2014 film, *SX_Tape*, a found-footage horror film directed by Bernard Rose and starring Caitlyn Folley and Ian Duncan, was released the same month and shares a similar-sounding title but no connection to the Kasdan comedy.[19](https://wellgousa.com/films/sxtape)
## References
1. [Sex Tape (2014), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/70074-SEX-TAPE)
2. [Sex Tape: Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel in first trailer for new comedy, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/sex-tape-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segal-in-first-trailer-for-new-comedy-9228287.html)
3. [Sex Tape (2014), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1956620/)
4. [SEX TAPE, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/sex-tape)
5. [Sex Tape critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sex-tape/critic-reviews/)
6. [SEX TAPE, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/sextape)
7. [REVIEW: Don't Dare Watch This Sex Tape, TIME](https://time.com/2991743/sex-tape-movie-review/)
8. [Sex Tape review, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/Sex-Tape-66240.html)
9. [Sex Tape film review, London Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sex-tape-review-cameron-diaz-and-jason-segel-really-don-t-click-9713627.html)
10. [Sex Tape: Interview with Director Jake Kasdan, Emanuel Levy](https://emanuellevy.com/interviews/sex-tape-starring-cameron-diaz/)
11. ['The Office' Star Ellie Kemper Joins Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz in 'Sex Tape', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/the-office-star-ellie-kemper-joins-jason-segel-cameron-diaz-in-sex-tape/)
12. [Jack Black Will Help Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz Make 'Sex Tape', TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/jack-black-will-help-jason-segel-cameron-diaz-make-sex-tape-exclusive-107566/)
13. [Sex Tape (2014), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1956620/)
14. [Sony Entertainment Business Supplemental Information, quarter ended December 31, 2014](https://www.sony.com/ja/SonyInfo/IR/library/presen/er/14q3_supplement.pdf)
15. [Sex Tape movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sex-tape-2014)
16. [Sex Tape review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/04/sex-tape-review-cameron-diaz)
17. [The Resolutely Anti-Sexy "Sex Tape", The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-resolutely-anti-sexy-sex-tape)
18. [Sex Tape, BBFC](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/sex-tape-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0znzkzmdm)
19. [SX_Tape, Well Go USA](https://wellgousa.com/films/sxtape)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2013 to 2014 › Titles J to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license