What are your favorite sex positions? How many sexual partners have you had? What is your sexual orientation? These may sound like taboo questions, but in the film “Kinsey” it was the major topic of interest.

“Kinsey” is a biopic film about the world-renowned sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, who authored the books “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” and “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.”

Written and directed by Bill Condon, also director of “Gods and Monsters,” this film is filled with a lot of interesting and entertaining facts about how conservative 1940s America was blown away by Kinsey’s controversial studies.

Kinsey (Liam Neeson), born in 1894, grew up in a repressed Methodist household. He developed a fascination with science, although his stern father protested, and grew up to join the University of Indiana faculty.

As a zoologist, Kinsey managed to gather the largest collection of gall wasps. He decided to see if the mating insects had anything in common with the mating habits of humans, so he assembled a research team to ask embarrassing and very taboo questions to volunteers.

By collecting the sexual histories from hundreds of volunteers, based off of a list of 350 questions, Kinsey wrote his first book on sex, “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” in 1948.

The publication of this book caused a massive uproar and was a best seller. It was also very controversial as it was the first of its kind.

As a scientist, Kinsey saw it as his duty to properly inform people about sex because there was no real data that documented on how people behaved sexually. Courageously, he was ahead of his time.

Kinsey’s wife, Clara (Laura Linney), was one of his students when they met. They wed as virgins but both soon became very enthusiastic about sex. She was the woman who kept Kinsey sane during rough times.

By the time the second book about female sexual behaviors was released in 1953, the sexual revolution had begun and Kinsey was the man to blame for it.

While some were excited about their new found freedom to be open about sex, some conservatives greatly opposed it. After all, this was the ’50s.

Neeson gives an outstanding performance in his portrayal of Kinsey. He manages to really capture Kinsey’s passion for his work and his fixation with getting his message out.

The chemistry between Neeson and Linney on screen was remarkable. They were believable in the sense that they loved and cared for each other. Linney played the role of the supportive wife excellently.

Although there is a lot of historical facts and information that is difficult to include in a 118-minute movie that is meant to inform and entertain, Condon did a good job in getting the story out and getting his point across.

The film is extremely sexually explicit, as it showcases full-frontal nudity, various sexual scenes and in-depth descriptions about sex. This film is not recommended for children and some adults might even find it offensive.

The best way to describe this film is thought provoking. It will raise a couple of eyebrows and maybe even make you cringe with embarrassment during the sexually graphic scenes. Nonetheless, it is worth seeing as it is a fun lesson on one of the most controversial men in history.

With its provocative, informative and humorous mood, “Kinsey” is not to be missed.

On Screen

What: “Kinsey”: This biopic traces sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, who redefined American conceptions of human sexuality with his publications.

Rated: R

Starring: Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O’Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard.

Bottom Line: This film couldn’t have portrayed conservatism in the 1950s any better.