Welcome to the beginning of the finest sex films created on the minor but important aspect of the human experience known as s*x – from transitioning lesbian tragedies to gritty depictions of s*x reliance on, umm, loincloths.
In the film, s*x sequences have a rich, fluctuating tradition. They’ve had periods of near-ubiquity as well as scarcity. During the 1960s and 1970s, they were regularly employed to startle viewers and shake them out of their complacency. They were commodified in unexpected ways during the 1980s.
List of 30 Best Movie Sex Scenes
They will be rather intriguing these days. In any case, s*x scenes have been crucial — whether in the evolution of the creative language, igniting controversy, or just contributing to breaking with new ways of expressing intimacy. Some of the sequences in this list are landmarks in cinema history (for better and for worse).
Some are cultural flashpoints that end up influencing our culture in unexpected ways. And some became symbols of malevolent, shifting tendencies. Similarly, some are just amazing sequences that influenced what came after them. It’s a mixed bag. The following are the 30 most important and best sex scenes in movies history.
30. Mulholland Drive (2001)
- Director: David Lynch
- Writer: David Lynch
- Cast: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 87%
It is so perplexing that it gives different interpretations each time you see it. This s*x scene between aspiring actress Betty (Naomi Watts) and mysterious amnesiac Rita (Laura Elena Harring) is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s unclear whether the s*x scene is true or fantasy and whether Betty is genuinely a lady called Diane. However, it is apparent that the s*x scene is exceptional and tremendously passionate, with rising orchestral music and some major, intense eye contact.
29. Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001)
- Director: Alfonso Cuarón
- Writer: Carlos Cuarón, Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast: Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Daniel Giménez Cacho
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
All of the s*x scenes in Y Tu Mama Tambien, a transitional film about two friends (Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal) who go on a trip with a beautiful, terminally ill lady (Maribel Verdu), are steamy. Nonetheless, this threesome sequence at the end of the film, which culminates in a liplock between Luna and Bernal, is undoubtedly the hottest, capturing a succinct flash of desire without any hesitation.
28. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
- Director: Michael Showalter, David Wain
- Writer: David Wain
- Cast: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 75%
Wet Hot American Summer, a recognized religious film, is a silly spoof of 1980s summer camp pictures; thus, it’s not exactly known for its sensuality. Regardless, the sequence between McKinley (Michael Ian Black) and Ben (a pre-stardom Bradley Cooper) is both shocking and sensual. Even Bradley Cooper claims he had a great time filming it.
27. Go (1999)
- Director: Doug Liman
- Writer: John August
- Cast: Sarah Polley, Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91%
This threesome scenario features a tantric s*x-obsessed street pharmacist (Desmond Askew) and two stoned bridesmaids, and it concludes with the entire room engulfed in flames. So, granted, it’s a little goofy, but as the creator of films like Rock and Roll In My B**th**e, We can certainly appreciate silly.
Furthermore, imagine being so engrossed in your pleasure and your partners’ pleasure that you don’t realize you’re about to drink yourself to death until the very last possible instant. This scenario is both physically and metaphorically heated.
26. Jennifer’s Body (2009)
- Director: Karyn Kusama
- Writer: Diablo Cody
- Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Brody
- IMDb Rating: 5.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 45%
We could have been the only ones in America who appreciated this zombie comedy-spine chiller starring Megan Fox as a s**y and lusty evil ghost and Amanda Seyfried as her invisible young lady. BFF: Could you ever ask for anything finer, I ask? The tension between them grows throughout the film, culminating in a slumber party makeout scene involving Fox in tube shorts and a dress. The fact that it concludes with a massive pile of blood doesn’t detract from the fact that this is a lovely and s***ual moment.
25. Risky Business (1983)
- Director: Paul Brickman
- Writer: Paul Brickman
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
As someone who has had a lot of public s*x, this train s*x scene between s*x worker Lana (Rebecca de Mornay) and ambitious secondary school student Joel (a very young Tom Cruise) has always been a huge turn-on for me.
It’s not so much the actual s*x as it is the building of s**ual tension prompting that moment — yet, when they eventually reject the last person off the train, you know without a doubt that these two people need to have int**c**rse, and it’s going to be explosive. The soundtrack by Phil Collins also helps. (Yes, Phil, We can feel the tension this evening.)
24. Black Swan (2009)
- Director: Darren Aronofsky
- Writer: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin
- Cast: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel
- IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%
Natalie Portman was someone we knew when she was younger. (Because our parents ran in the same circles, we attended a lot of the same bat mitzvahs.) We were cruel to her as a child, and that emotion has persisted into adulthood (even though she’s won, being a big celebrity and all).
We had already established me as a p*rn*grap*y performer and boss by the time we saw Darren Aronofsky’s psychos*xual spine-chilling thriller, Black Swan. “Without a doubt, we can demonstrate progress over she can,” we thought to ourselves as Natalie and her opponent (played by a never-been-s*x*er Mila Kunis) appeared on the screen.
We were mistaken. Portman’s org***s seem and sound frighteningly genuine, and you can sense the anxiety and joy on her face as she clenches the sheets in the sequence. Even though it doesn’t display much of an areola, it’s incredibly s**su**s.
23. Boogie Nights (1997)
- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
Normally, We despise how Hollywood portrays the adult business. Most directors appear to regard pornographic stars as either cartoonishly dumb or debased pieces of trash. (To be honest, neither are we.)
However, Boogie Nights is a terrific film with an incredible cast, stunning composition, and incredibly h*t s*x. While they’re filming their first scene together, Amber Waves (Julianne Moore) requests that Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) finish inside of her…
It always gets to me. It’s one of a small number of films in which a woman in p*rn*gr**hy is depicted not as a victim but rather as a s*xu**ly capable woman who has a great time running her company.
22. Disobedience (2018)
- Director: Sebastián Lelio
- Writer: Sebastián Lelio, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Naomi Alderman
- Cast: Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 84%
Only k*ss**g is revealed between Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz in this scene, but it is done with such zealous passion that it appears like a consummation – just listen to all that moaning.
The fact that the affection sequences in Disobedience contained so much saliva became a running gag; McAdams has subsequently revealed that they used lychee-seasoned lubrication to make that passionate k*s**s particularly wet.
21. Basic Instinct (1992)
- Director: Paul Verhoeven
- Writer: Joe Eszterhas
- Cast: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza
- IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 63%
The best sex scenes in Basic Instinct movie lifted the standard in Hollywood. (It even kept certain pornographic s*x scenes honest for the sake of pain.)
This sequence between Officer Nick Curran (Michael Douglas) and psychopathic crime author Catherine Trammell (Sharon Stone) is pure animalistic fascination: it’s just two beautiful people chasing each other and enjoying mind-blowing o*g*s*s. They’re gripping the bedposts, scratching each other’s backs, and generally losing control, and it’s still as hot as it was over 25 years ago.
20. Bound (1996)
- Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
- Writer: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
- Cast: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
Jennifer Tilley is the typical femme fatale in Gina Gershon’s first participation, having purposefully let a circle slide into the sink to be apart from everyone else with her while her mafioso lover is out of the flat. The attraction between the two women is immediate and irresistible, and they throw down not too far away from that point.
19. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
- Director: Luca Guadagnino
- Writer: James Ivory, André Aciman
- Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
The Oscar-nominated film, which revolves around a 24-year-old professor (Armie Hammer) and a 17-year-old student (Timothée Chalamet) who engage in an ad*lt*r**s affair, is a powerful depiction of the joy (and uncertainty) that comes with first love. The greatest s*x scene isn’t an s*x scene at all, but an m*st*rb*t**n sequence in which Elio (Chalamet) is thinking about Oliver (Hammer) and ma*t**b*t*s inside a peach in a fit of passion, perplexity, and astonishment. It’s an unusual yet tremendously s*x**l and furious encounter and one of the film’s most memorable scenes.
18. Cruel Intentions (1999)
- Director: Roger Kumble
- Writer: Choderlos de Laclos, Roger Kumble
- Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
Cruel Intentions is a very tame picture, considering its whole explanation is mired in politics and the power of s*x. The only other true moment of joy in the film is when Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon’s characters lay together, close to that big k*ss between Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair. It’s a notable inversion of their past: Sebastian had all the power when he set out to draw Annette, yet he’s just as helpless as she was during their initial meeting.
17. White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
- Director: Ron Shelton
- Writer: Ron Shelton
- Cast: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
Rosie Perez and Woody Harrelson in White Men Can’t Jump get our choice for the most chemistry-filled 90s cinematic coupling. Whether they’re arguing over Jeopardy! or the intricate breakdown of basketball scores, the two of them spend the whole film sparring like kids at the wilderness practice center who secretly have butterflies for one other.
This scene, in which Harrelson excitedly tosses an indignant Perez in the shower while still wearing their clothing and turns on the water before the two engage in s*x*al activities on the loveseat, is so darn charming and hilarious.
16. Bent (1997)
- Director: Sean Mathias
- Writer: Martin Sherman
- Cast: Lothaire Bluteau, Clive Owen, Mick Jagger
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
While not exactly simulated intercourse because none of the characters connects, Bent’s deal is criticized for lacking. Max and Horst (Clive Owen and Lothaire Bluteau) are gay men in a concentration camp who are forbidden from touching or even looking at one another — an impediment they overcome in this scene by finding another way to be personal.
15. Notorious (2009)
- Director: George Tillman Jr.
- Writer: Reggie Rock Bythewood, Cheo Hodari Coker
- Cast: Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 65%
Lil Kim (Naturi Naughton) rides Biggie (Jamal Woolard) like a huge roly-poly dildo in this 2009 Notorious B.I.G. biopic. (Did we mention she’s dressed as a student in this scene?) The actual cash shot, though, is when Lil Kim attracts Biggie by delivering multiple rhymes while still dressed.
14. Don’t Look Now (1973)
- Director: Nicolas Roeg
- Writer: Daphne Du Maurier, Allan Scott, Chris Bryant
- Cast: Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 94%
The s*x*al scene in Don’t Look Now, taken from Daphne Du Maurier’s story, sparked widespread outrage when it was initially shown. Shots of the married couple (played by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie) having s*x were alternated with video of them getting ready to go out to dinner, making the scenario a macrocosmic portrayal of a marriage to a large extent.
13. Unfaithful (2002)
- Director: Adrian Lyne
- Writer: Claude Chabrol, Alvin Sargent, William Broyles Jr.
- Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 68%
Unfaithful captures the s*xu*l passion you may have with someone you shouldn’t be attracted to well. This scene involves some very emotional and extremely intense ad*lt*ry between weary housewife Diane Lane and exciting new stud Olivier Martinez, culminating with Lane sobbing and having a peak at the same time.
Spoiler alert: Lane’s better half (Richard Gere) subsequently discovers the affair and murders Martinez with a snow globe, but that doesn’t erase the fact that this person disturbed Diane Lane’s world for a brief period.
12. The Thomas Crown Affair (1997)
- Director: John McTiernan
- Writer: Alan Trustman, Leslie Dixon, Kurt Wimmer
- Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 74%
Is there anything s*x*er than a mental struggle between two people who have feelings for one other? Rene Russo has been researching Pierce Brosnan for quite some time in this re-enactment of the fantastic heist thriller — but the chase turns out to be genuine when she appears at a black and white ball (wearing RED), and neither of them can keep up the illusion any longer.
11. Deadpool (2016)
- Director: Tim Miller
- Writer: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick
- Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
- IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 90%
This montage not only has two handsome performers — Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin — but it also serves as a wonderfully efficient piece of storytelling. By revisiting Wade and Vanessa’s s*x*al connection on each key event (including International Women’s Day), the film gives their relationship more weight than many other legendary films, in which the love interest sometimes feels like a throwaway. It gets to have had the type of R-rated fun it would be out of place in The Avengers.
10. Heathers (1988)
- Director: Michael Lehmann
- Writer: Daniel Waters
- Cast: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
We can’t tell you how frequently We scribbled in my journal, flung it out the window… and anticipated a handsome, charming executioner to be waiting on the other side of it. Unfortunately (or, maybe, thankfully? ), this will never happen. And we’ll always remember this endearing scene in Heathers with unhappy adolescent Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) and comparably angry yet psychopathic youngster JD (Christian Slater).
Indeed, there is no actual sex in this movie scene, but there is some n*d**y, some extremely heated and best first-base action, and Winona Ryder’s panties hanging from Daddy’s croquet set — which, way or another, makes it much s*xier.
9. Meet Joe Black (1998)
- Director: Martin Brest
- Writer: Ron Osborn, Jeff Reno, Kevin Wade
- Cast: Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Claire Forlani
- IMDb Rating: /10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
Brad Pitt’s body is taken over by Death himself in Meet Joe Black, and Pitt plays the role of one who is packed with mystery and secret knowledge. In the meanwhile, Claire Forlani is 100 percent human, and it is she who walks Pitt through what is effectively his first s*xu*l encounter with this sequence, which probes Death’s innocent, loving side.
8. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
- Director: John Madden
- Writer: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard
- Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush
- IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
This romantic scene starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes as Viola de Lesseps and William Shakespeare as Viola de Lesseps and William Shakespeare is something amazing. It’s “making love” in the purest sense of the term: it’s just two people eagerly melting into each other’s bodies.
7. Love and Basketball (2000)
- Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Writer: Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps, Glenndon Chatman
- IMDb Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
Quincy and Monica have known each other since they were children, and their first love scene captures the culmination of lengthy periods of infatuation, as well as the sheer awkwardness of crossing that line with your best friend.
Set to a sensuous rendition of ‘This Woman’s Work,’ the moment allows the two characters to be undressed in front of one another, both metaphorically and literally, before engaging in s*x*al co*t*ct.
6. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
- Director: Ang Lee
- Writer: Annie Proulx
- Cast: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Ennis and Jack’s first s*xual contact in the tent is a significant scene in the novel, as it is both urgent and severe (in each meaning). It also sent some misleading information to viewers about the act of butt-centric s*x, a large portion of whom had never seen it shown on-screen.
5. Wild Things
- Director: John McNaughton
- Writer: Stephen Peters
- Cast: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 62%
As an erotic entertainment director, I’m well aware of the numerous practical challenges that come with filming s*x in a pool. If there is too much sun, it can generate unattractive reflections; if there isn’t enough sun, it can also be an issue. (Who wants to see people having a good time in a pool on a gloomy day?) Furthermore, at least one young lady onset will say, “I trust this isn’t an issue, but I can’t get my hair extensions wet.” (You’re photographing an intimate moment in a pool.) This is a problem.)
However, in the wonderful Wild Things from 1998, Neve Campbell and Denise Richards enjoy the perfect pool-simulated intercourse, all while not being concerned about their extensions. They make out beneath the gorgeous moonlight before flawlessly segueing into hot simulated intercourse after almost beating the poo out of each other. It’s Hollywood, after all. Anything might happen.
4. Long Shot (2019)
- Director: Jonathan Levine
- Writer: Dan Sterling
- Cast: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O’Shea Jackson Jr.
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
This moment not only sells the damnation of Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen’s s*xual connection but also subverts expectations by casting Theron’s character (an urgent working politician) opposite the freak in the room. Intriguingly, romantic comedies are so suggestive, and it’s even more shocking that the female character is the one that gets to express their desires and expectations in the room.
3. 50 Shades of Gray
- Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
- Writer: E. L. James
- Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan
- IMDb Rating: 4.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 25%
We’d be remiss if we didn’t add the E.L. James series, which produced so many steamy simulated encounters that we couldn’t keep track of them all. Here’s a look at some of the greatest, from encounters in the Red Room to various sorts of shower s*x.
2. 2 Days in the Valley (1996)
- Director: John Herzfeld
- Writer: John Herzfeld
- Cast: Danny Aiello, Greg Cruttwell, Jeff Daniels
- IMDb Rating: 6.5/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 62%
In general, the Valley is around 10 to 20 degrees hotter than the rest of Los Angeles. James Spader blames the heat in 2 Days in the Valley (starring a young Charlize Theron in her first leading role), creating ice 3D shapes all over Theron’s areolas and thighs. The movie isn’t really good, but there’s a sequence in which Charlize Theron wears an all-white strip bodysuit, so there’s something.
1. Atonement (2007)
- Director: Joe Wright
- Writer: Christopher Hampton
- Cast: James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Romola Garai
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83%
Atonement is a film about war, love, class differences, and remorse, but it’s about two people who are incandescently lustful for each other. The scene in the library during an extravagant dinner party where Robbie and Cecilia finally consummate their long-simmering attraction is one of the shadows and muted wheezes, heightening the feeling of intimacy as well as the scandalous nature of the act — which will be tragically misinterpreted by an onlooker.
