"The Opposite of Sex"

The black comedy "The Opposite of Sex" was recently picked to represent the United States in a special exhibition at the 55th Annual Venice Film Festival in September. "We wanted this very much, and we were lucky to get in," says writer/director Don Roos, who took the film to four American film festivals (including Sundance) before it became a surprise hit. "It's never a drag to go to these events. I will go anywhere if there's free food and an open mini-bar. I'm a very cheap date in that respect."

Whereas "The Opposite of Sex" centers on the world's most cynical 16-year-old (Christina Ricci), its creator is decidedly upbeat about his success, including the praise he's now getting from studio executives. "I'm the flavor of the month," says Roos, 43. "An acquired-taste flavor of the month, but nonetheless some kind of flavor they're pushing."

All the attention that Roos has been getting from studios and TV networks, however, doesn't mean that they'd let him make another equally outrageous film. (He will do his next movie, "Bounce," -- "a more conventional love story with a twist" -- for Propaganda Films.) After all, the $4.4 million gross for "Sex" does not a blockbuster make: "A very small segment of the population has responded to my movie. They've certainly responded enthusiastically, but it's a small segment. I wonder if the networks -- or America -- are really ready for my sort of picture. Probably not, but you never know."

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