Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Sessions

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Feb. 12, 2012
Price: DVD $29.98, Blu-ray $39.99
Studio: Fox


The Sessions movie scene

Helen Hunt and John Hawkes in The Sessions.

Helen Hunt (Every Day) and John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) star in the much-buzzed-about 2012 drama The Sessions.

Paralyzed and confined to an iron lung since childhood, poet-journalist Mark O’Brien (Hawkes) has overcome adversity time and time again. But now, at age 38, O’Brien faces his toughest challenge yet: losing his virginity. With the help of a beautiful sex surrogate therapist (Hunt), a sympathetic priest (William H. Macy, TV’s Shameless), and his own unbridled sense of optimism and humor, Mark embarks on a personal journey to discover some of the pleasures that life—in any form–worth living.

Written and directed by Ben Lewin from an essay by the real-life Mark O’Brien, The Sessions received a pair of 2013 Golden Globe nominations: One for John Hawkes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), and another for Helen Hunt for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture. The film had its premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award (U.S. Dramatic) and a Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting.

The Sessions opened in limited release to U.S. theaters in November, 2012 following a season of festival screenings. It has since grossed approximately $5 million at the domestic box office, a number that is sure to rise as awards season approached. As for the critics, Rotten Tomatoes reports that the R-rated film has garnered an impressive 8/10 based on 150 published reviews.

So, again, the buzz is on for The Sessions, which reportedly contains some very graphic sex scenes, frank dialogue and intimate moments—served up on screen by two powerhouse actors.

The Blu-ray and DVD of The Sessions contain the following bonus features:

●    John Hawkes becomes Mark O Brien
●    Helen Hunt as the Sex Surrogate
●    The Women Who Loved Mark O Brien
●    Deleted Scenes  (Blu-ray only)
●    Writer/Director Ben Lewin Finds Inspiration (Blu-ray only)
●    A Session with the Cast  (Blu-ray only)

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.