AMERICANS IN BED, REVEALING HIDDEN TRUTHS ABOUT THE WAYS PEOPLE LOVE TODAY, DEBUTS AUGUST 2013, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) George & Faird
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
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AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Randy & Julie
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
Americans in Bed on Whom You Know?!?!? HBO has never disappointed us before so we thought we'd open our minds to this documentary.
We know what you're thinking. Oh my goodness Peachy Deegan is talking about sex and she doesn't do that kind of thing, that nice Catholic girl who went to Miss Porter's. Well, we are not (even if our parents didn't read this). Americans In Bed is the latest and greatest from the HBO Documentary hit parade and it is not at all graphic. It is simply more intelligent journalism by this winner of a network, and quite literally some of the most interesting conversations you'll hear about relationships between all kinds of couples that are in a word, fascinating. HBO where do you find these people? The couples could not have been more diverse.
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Joe & Patty
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
This is a documentary that everyone will be able to relate to as it is a study in humanity and interpersonal relationships. What works? What doesn't work? Are there universal truths in relationships? HBO examines these issues and more as each couple in their bed literally tells you all about their relationship. Obviously this is for adults; if we are saying anything at all is for children it is in the Petite Peachy column; if it's not in Petite Peachy, you can assume we are not recommending whatever it is for kids. Joe and Patty, we like your dog and are sorry to hear of the obstacles he presents! Dog: stop scratching on door. It's not good for the door and they know you're there give them a break.
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Deanne & Guy
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
In this age of reality tv ridiculousness with no substance, HBO has got the reality aspect right as these couples could not be more honest, even when it is painful. They show genuine feeling and are real, not dramatic. Simplicity is often the best form of art there is and as the words coming out of the mouths of these real people were so convincing, nothing more was needed. You will be sucked in immediately, because nothing like this has been done before to our knowledge.
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Margie & Linda
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
70% of Americans believe in love at first sight, however half of all marriages end in divorce. It's clear when you hear from each couple that initial chemistry is absolutely crucial, but you all know that anyway. What this will teach you is about how people live and what you can understand about them. You may even want to compare notes...we are not in the business of critiquing relationships so we will let you all come to your own conclusions about each couple and of course everyone will want each to succeed, but you know the statistics. These couples were all very brave to do this we think and now they really don't have secrets...
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Fatima & Kevin
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
And if you think you've heard it all, seen it all, done it all, you actually have not until you've seen Americans in Bed. Lots of contrasting perspectives are presented here and this documentary is really eye-opening. Polyamourous??!?! Please. Polyamourous is fine when the term is used in your relationship with your shoe collection. That's it.
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Leon & Blanca
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
At the end of the show you're going to feel like you're friends with these people. They could have been the people you stood in line with at the grocery store, the people you sipped champagne with at last week's cocktail party, or even someone in your family. But the point is they are all strangers and HBO presents this so brilliantly that you are wrapped up in these problems of others by the end that you hope HBO does an update in maybe five years so you can see what worked and what did not.
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Leon & Blanca
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
Americans in Bed is the most intimate look ever verbally at relationships as they are and not glossed over. Isn't reality supposed to be the best fantasy after all or was that only a Liz Claiborne ad awhile ago?
AMERICANS IN BED: (L-R) Helen & Red
Photo Credit: Pippa Robinson/ Pippa Robinson/ Courtesy HBO
Helen and Red were our favorite couple by a mile. They are entirely cute and have been together for 71 years and had the best story. Come be the proverbial fly on the wall with us; we can assure you it will be not only fascinating but also great fun.
Whom You Know Recommends Americans in Bed!
Bravo HBO, once again.
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What makes or breaks a relationship today? From the privacy of their own bedrooms, ten couples offer frank, funny and often surprising insights into love, sex and marriage in AMERICANS IN BED. Featuring a rich cross-section of ages, ethnicities, religions and sexual orientations, the revealing and thoughtful special debuts MONDAY, AUG. 12 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, and wraps up this year’s summer documentary film series.
Other HBO playdates: Aug. 12 (3:45 a.m.), 15 (2:00 a.m.) , 21 (midnight) and 27 (1:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdate: Aug. 14 (8:00 p.m.)
The U.S. has one of the highest marriage rates in the developed world, as well as the third-highest rate of divorce, with as many as half of unions failing. Brimming with genuine emotion and honesty, AMERICANS IN BED spotlights some of the many reasons people come together — and grow apart.
Director Philippa Robinson conducts wide-ranging interviews with subjects who are filmed in the comfort of their own beds, asking probing questions about what people look for in a partner and how they know when they have found it. From a couple that has been together for 71 years to a pair of fresh-faced newlyweds, she encourages her subjects to open their hearts and minds as they share candid and touching insights into their relationships, underscoring the fact that no union is as simple as it seems on the surface.
Each couple gradually discloses intimate thoughts about the sometimes painfully private issues that affect every relationship, including passion, fidelity, family obligations, separation, conflict, negotiation and illness. As they talk about how they met and fell in love, some even surprise each other with feelings long held back, while others revisit old hurts as if they had happened yesterday.
Joe and Patty, in their 40s with three growing children, say that while physical attraction was a big part of what drew them together, sex is no longer the most important aspect of their relationship. By turns wistful and bawdy, they look forward to the day they have room in their lives for the spontaneity of the past.
After 71 years of marriage, Helen and Red are still together, though now in assisted living. They went on their first date when she was 16, but Red wasn’t interested in an innocent teenager. Once his gallivanting days were over, he returned to his young sweetheart to settle down. The attraction between them is still apparent today. “He still makes me feel young,” says Helen, adding that in seven decades, she’s never turned him away in bed.
George and Farid took their relationship slowly, not allowing it to become physical until Farid felt sure of his younger boyfriend’s commitment. Now, they have found unexpected happiness in marriage and parenthood, something neither dreamed they would ever be able to experience.
At first glance, Leon and Blanca seem mismatched. He stands 6’6’’, while she is 4’10”, but a passionate connection keeps them together through a roller-coaster relationship that has broken up 26 times in two years. Leon’s commitment to a polyamorous lifestyle is a constant test for the monogamous Blanca. As he says, “When things are good, they are very, very good. When they are bad, they are horrid.”
When Linda and Margie first met online, Linda was separated from her husband and Margie was still married, but their deep connection was undeniable to both. When Margie had to choose between her two lives, Linda gave her the space she needed, saying, “I want you to be happy, whether that’s with me or without me.”
Yasmin and Mohamed, a young Egyptian-American couple, have been married nine months. Both are all smiles as they discuss each other and their new relationship. After a courtship shaped by age-old custom and family strictures, they find a sweet thrill in the simple pleasures of married life. “This is my person now,” says Mohamed. “I always wanted a person.”
Fatima and Kevin came close to splitting when she discovered explicit texts on his phone, rupturing the trust they had so carefully built. Kevin says he wants to “do right” by his partner and their relationship as they work to restore what they once had, and Fatima is still “bursting” with love for Kevin.
After meeting Randy, a photographer, on the set of a music video, Julie, a musician, gave up touring to be at his side. Then his career began sending him away from their Manhattan home for long stretches, leaving her alone. Now, the sizzling physical bond between them is starting to suffer and they poignantly debate how to argue more productively, so that they can concentrate on having fun together.
AMERICANS IN BED was produced and directed by veteran documentary filmmaker Philippa Robinson, who is also a trained counselor and is currently completing her masters in psychotherapy. Her acclaimed documentary “The British in Bed” aired on the BBC as part of the long-running series “Wonderland.”
For more information on the documentary, visit: Facebook: facebook.com/hbodocs; and Twitter: @HBODocs #AmericansInBed.
AMERICANS IN BED is a co-production with the BBC; produced and directed by Philippa Robinson; executive producers, Sheila Nevins for HBO and Jane Tranter for the BBC; senior producer, Lisa Heller; senior editor, Stuart Briggs; editor, Marc Davies; directors of photography, John Halliday and Wolfgang Held.
