Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2013

Back in the Victorian era, any hint of a sex drive in women was considered a disorder called “female hysteria” and was “cured” effectively, one might say ecstatically, by inducing orgasm through vaginal massage. (A-Heh!) Long story short, this is the elegantly and humorously told story behind the invention of that milestone of human progress, the electric vibrator. (The film opens with: “This story is based on fact. Really.”) Maggie Gyllenhaal, sporting a credible British accent, is spot-on as a plucky proto-feminist, but the chemistry-free romantic subplot with Hugh Dancy is, well, flaccid.