Lionsgate
First times tend to be memorable, and that’s true for on-screen sex, too. Whether you grew up sneakily tuning into the HBO pay per view channel when your parents were asleep (uh, too specific?) or had the entire world wide web at your disposal, real on-screen chemistry makes an impact.
For starters, a hot movie sex scene requires so much more than stars taking their clothes off—in fact, neither nudity nor explicit sex are necessary. From a highly-anticipated kiss in Pump Up The Volume to the food play between Kōji Yakusho and Fukumi Kuroda in Tampopo, conventional sex isn’t required to get the blood pumping. What matters most is being able to empathize with the characters—feel their desire and longing—along with the pleasure it leads to.
And steamy films aren’t just useful for early sexual exploration, they can also spark new possibilities at every stage of life (raise your hand if you’ve ever received sex tips from a movie).
Whether you’re having a solo movie night or cuddling up with a partner(s), the right film can set the mood for sexy play, or simply start a conversation about things you’d like to try. After all, it’s a lot less scary to broach the topic of something new with an example to reference. Plus, texting hints about your favorite scenes can be an excellent icebreaker (wink-wink).
Next time you want to get all hot and bothered (or are simply looking for inspo), press play on these 50 best movie sex scenes:
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Kinksters always remember the first time they saw Secretary. Based on a short story by Mary Gaitskill, the movie approaches kink and BDSM without judgment—a rarity in mainstream film. The scene you’ll consider hottest will most likely depend on your own personal kinks, but James Spader’s Grey bending Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Holloway over his desk for a spanking is as cathartic for the audience as it is for the characters.
Realistic portrayals of polyamorous relationships are hard to come by in film—especially in mainstream releases—so it’s no surprise that this movie is beloved. The depth of love between the characters is so brilliantly portrayed that even the threesome scene is as tender as much it is titillating.
Based on the fabulous book of the same name, this film is sexy from start to finish. Every frame captures the feeling of coming of age and the confusion and wonder involved in exploring your sexuality. But the scene between Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and a very lucky peach is a definite standout—IYKYK.
This surreal British sci-fi film starring David Bowie defies easy explanation. Musing on everything from capitalism to climate change, it doesn’t shy away from sexual politics, either. One memorable scene late in the film shows Bowie’s character visited by a former lover and finding closure through a sexual escapade that includes repeatedly firing a gun loaded with blanks.
Based on a story by Daphne du Maurier, this horror movie stands the test of time. The sex scene between Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland is so hot and realistic that rumors have circulated for decades that the scene was, in fact, real rather than simulated. Whatever the truth is behind its filming, that powerful moment establishes the strength of the characters’ relationship beyond a doubt.
Following three different points in protagonist Chiron’s life, Moonlight is a heartbreaking yet tender exploration of Black queer love and survival. While the film includes countless moments of longing and yearning, it’s the scene on the beach between teenage Chiron (Ashton Sanders) and his friend Kevin (Jharrel Jerome) that is perhaps the most memorable. Without giving away any spoilers, the two have a tender (and, uh, hot) moment after sharing a blunt and talking about their dreams.
Three years before The Matrix, the Wachowskis wrote and directed Bound, a film that has achieved cult status in LGBTQ+ communities and beyond. Part of the credit for the sexy realism of the movie’s steamy scenes goes to feminist author and sex educator Susie Bright, who consulted on the film. The first sex scene between Jennifer Tilly’s Violet and Gina Gershon’s Corky will have you gasping and biting your lip right alongside the characters on screen.
This lighthearted and whimsical film features a stellar cast including Hugh Grant, Sam Neill, Elle Macpherson, and Portia de Rossi. Based on the life of artist Norman Lindsay, this film pits religious concerns against artistic freedom, with plenty of nude modeling and skinny dipping to make the point. In one scene, the free-spirited art models are determined to show a priest’s wife the pleasures of the flesh. Another, where fingertips lightly graze a character floating in water, is sure to give you chills, too.
This South Korean romantic comedy portrays a lighter, more playful side of BDSM. Kink doesn’t need to include pain or tears, and it’s refreshing to see characters take a tender, more lighthearted approach to it. Even their take on “punishment” shows affection and arousal in a way that will ring true for anyone who keeps a flogger or two by their bed.
Directed by Spanish provocateur Luis Buñuel and starring Catherine Deneuve, Belle de Jour follows a housewife who enjoys an intense fantasy life. Upon learning of an upscale brothel from a friend, she goes to investigate and ultimately takes on an afternoon shift at the establishment. Despite the countless ~spicy~ scenes to choose from, this film is best admired for the sum of its parts.
“Sexy” and “cannibalism” don’t often work in the same sentence—maybe not even in the same paragraph. But this French coming-of-age film defies all expectations. The symbolism in the movie isn’t always subtle, but it works. And the curiosity and desire for flesh—both sexual and otherwise—is far more relatable than it should be, thanks to Raw‘s skilled filmmakers.
1990s Christian Slater is reason enough to tune into this film, TBH.
In Pump Up The Volume, the sexiest scene is actually just a kiss—a kiss that almost doesn’t happen. It’s the will they or won’t they tension that makes the scene so tantalizing—it’s equal parts impossible and magical.
Starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon, this film has two scenes vying for the title of “Hottest Movie Sex Scene.” The opening scene jumps from an 80’s goth club (featuring Bauhaus) to what happens when Bowie and Deneuve’s characters bring another couple home. Later, Deneuve and Sarandon fall into bed for a sex scene sure to make viewers sweat.
This controversial film features real, unsimulated sex between the actors, and leaves nothing to the imagination. While not for the faint of heart, the series of erotic explorations the characters undertake are bound to speak to some viewers. Its frank portrayal of sexuality also helps destigmatize some of the acts shown, including period sex.
The Dreamers, starring Michael Pitt, Eva Green, and Louis Garrel, depicts a love triangle between an American college student and the French twins he meets while studying abroad in Paris. What follows is a fever dream of sensuality and sexual exploration that must be devoured in one sitting.
With a cast featuring Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, and Charlotte Rampling, sexy scenes are almost guaranteed. Add the steamy New Orleans setting of this film, and you’ve got a sensual powder keg. Actual sex aside, the hottest scene in this film may be when Bonet’s character, Epiphany Proudfoot, is washing her hair while Rourke’s detective, Harry Angel, tries to question her.
The title of this film is clearly a spoiler, but that doesn’t make the threesome scene any less touching when it finally arrives. Billed as an “erotic dramedy,” Threesome packs a punch as a coming-of-age film, complete with honest explorations of sexual identity. Starring Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin, and Josh Charles as students accidentally put in college housing together, there are several memorable ~sexy~ scenes, including Boyle writhing on a library table as her roommate reads aloud to her.
Is this a cheesy 1980s horror movie? Yes. Did it make a lifelong impact on my sexuality? Also, yes.
In this movie, a group of college students visit a waxwork museum in the middle of the night and discover it has a strange speciality. Wolfman, Dracula, Jack the Ripper, and many other famous monsters are featured in the exhibits and, one by one, the students are pulled into the scenes to meet their demise. That is until Deborah Foreman’s Sarah steps into the Marquis de Sade display and discovers the other pleasures of the flesh.
There’s a lot going on in David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future, but it may be Kristen Stewart’s performance that makes the biggest splash. What happens in this film is not what most people would describe as sex, but the characters are certainly finding their bliss. In the future world portrayed in the film, body modifications are taken to new heights—and surgeries become both performance art and vehicles for pleasure. The scene where Stewart’s character slides her fingers into Viggo Mortensen’s mouth is especially memorable.
Written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell, Shortbus follows a colorful cast of characters each exploring sex, sexuality, and relationships in their own way. Despite the film’s orgies and logistically improbable self-pleasure scenarios, Shortbus features some admirably honest and raw depictions of sexuality on film.
This Canadian romantic comedy made a splash upon its release because queer relationships were far from common in film at the time—at least not in joyful films. Between the inclusion of a transgender character and an LGBTQ+ bookstore, this film normalized the lives and relationships of a group that rarely gets the representation they deserve. Although not a critical hit, the realism and sincerity of the sex scenes make it worth watching. (Plus, there’s some bonus voyeurism, if that’s your kink.)
With echoes of Belle de Jour, in Romance, a young woman seeks sexual adventure outside of her relationship in increasingly fantastical ways. In one scene, she explores bondage in her boss’s home—which happens to be outfitted as a cross between a ’70s sex pad and a dungeon. In another, she joins a brothel that divides the sex workers from the clients with a wall at their waist. While the overall tone of this film is rather bleak, the scenes are beautifully shot and are bound to spark erotic inspiration.
Charlize Theron as a spy in late ’80s Berlin is reason enough to watch this film, but her sexual dynamic with the French spy played by Sofia Boutella earn this movie a spot on this list. From their first kiss, it’s impossible to look away—and why would you want to?
Jane Fonda’s outfits alone would merit Barbarella a spot on this list, but there’s one part in particular that really makes this a film to watch. Captured by mad scientist Durand Durand, Barbarella is placed in The Excessive Machine. In classic movie-villain form, he explains what will happen to her: “When we reach the crescendo, you will die of pleasure. Your end will be swift, but sweet, very sweet.” But Barbarella’s capacity for pleasure is no match for the machine, and much to her dismay, it falls apart before she’s had her fill.
This Todd Haynes film follows the fictionalized story of ’70s glam rockers, with all the excess and sex that implies. An all-star cast, including Ewan McGregor, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Toni Collette, and Christian Bale, elevates this film to something truly special. Be sure to catch a glitter-drenched Ewan McGregor baring it all onstage in that one concert scene, as well as plenty more intimate moments between him and Christian Bale’s character.
Sex can be anything you want it to be—as exemplified by Tampopo’s egg scene. Even if you’ve never found a raw egg sexy before, you’ll be glued to the screen as characters carefully pass an egg yolk back and forth between their mouths.
This British film was a hit on the festival circuit and it’s not hard to understand why. To paraphrase Indiewire’s take on the movie, it’s the most tenderhearted, dominant-submissive, lesbian romance ever made. Even BDSM educators like Sinclair Sexsmith give this film their stamp of approval.
Body Heat is one of the only movies that can make being sweaty look good—in fact, Kathleen Turner and William Hurt make a lot more than sweat look appealing. Everything they do oozes with sex appeal, but it’s Kathleen Turner’s “come hither” look that steals the show. Her draw is so powerful that not even a closed glass door can keep William Hurt from rushing into her arms—shattered glass be damned.
Sex on screen is for inspiration, not education, and many of the hottest scenes in this film are downright impractical. But the onscreen chemistry between Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger is so memorable that this movie retains its title, even decades after its release, as one of the hottest films ever made.
Solo pleasure doesn’t get enough on-screen love, which makes Natalie Portman’s masturbation scene in Black Swan especially refreshing (and sexy, obvi). But if you prefer your sex scenes to be of the partnered variety, Portman also shares steamy moments with her on-screen rival, Mila Kunis.
A neo-noir set in New Orleans, this film features memorable moments between Dennis Quaid and Ellen Barkin that prove you don’t need to be polished to be sexy. It’s rare for a film to let mundane, domestic activities spark sexual interest, but this movie manages to make getting kissed by a mouth covered in toothpaste look like a rather hot idea.
Crash features a grab-bag of sexy scenes to choose from and will definitely keep James Spader fans happy. Another entry on this list from director David Cronenberg, this film’s sex scenes are anything but run-of-the-mill. And while the particular fetishes of the characters might not be your jam, they make a strong case for them.
This French romance is based on a graphic novel of the same name and follows a teenager’s coming-of-age journey. Teen exploration movies aren’t hard to come by, but rarely are they as well done as in this film. A hit among critics, this movie shows same-sex desire in a way that manages to be both raw and tender.
Inspired by the Sarah Waters novel, Fingersmith, this South Korean film doesn’t shy away from the sapphic storyline of the source material. This film is full of twists and turns that are difficult to describe without spoilers, so let’s just say that a con-man’s plan goes horribly wrong—for him, anyway—when the women he’s trying to manipulate have, uh, steamy plans of their own.
Some films stand the test of time and some don’t. And, well, others are complicated. Although some elements of Rocky Horror might not land as intended with modern audiences, its classic status is well-deserved. For an entire generation, Rocky Horror was one of the only examples of gender-bending sexual exploration, and going to a live midnight showing was (and still is) a right of passage.
The brief sex scenes in this movie, shown only as shadows behind curtains, are the least sexy parts of the film. The real turn-on is watching an incredible range of people letting their freak flag fly, while Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played by Tim Curry, facilitates a sexual awakening for the hapless travelers who happen upon their lair one dark and stormy night.
The title of this film is a warning (ahem, it’s not a feel-good movie). But Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of the lead character is a brave and daring performance worth checking out. From trysts with sex workers to compulsive masturbation, Fassbender’s character always seems desperate for satisfaction that remains out of reach. The pleasure may be fleeting, but the longing is real.
Whole essays can (and have) been written about the sexual elements of The Green Knight—a film with a lot to say on the subject. But one scene that stands out proves that longing and overwhelming desire can often be hotter than traditional consummation. When Dev Patel’s character is overcome (pun intended) by a queen’s advances, he loses control in a scene that’s all too relatable.
Starring Isabelle Huppert in the titular role, The Piano Teacher is at times difficult to watch. But its raw and honest exploration of sexual repression, and its consequences, is riveting. With elements of BDSM and fetish exploration, many scenes in this film walk the line between arousing and repulsing the viewer—however, it’s hard not to learn something about yourself when you go along for this ride.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a film whose main characters are shooting pornography has some very sexy scenes. But it’s not the over-the-top pulp that packs the biggest punch. Instead, it’s seeing Jenna Ortega’s character begin to explore her own sexuality and desires that brings a relatable (and, uh, hot) element to the mix.
There’s an undeniable link between vampires and sex, and Francis Ford Coppola’s take on a classic is no exception. This film has no shortage of sexy scenes, but one in particular stands out: When Winona Ryder’s Mina drinks the blood of Gary Oldman’s Dracula, the energy between them is electric and the pleasure on his face is palpable.
Temperature play never looked so ~hot~ (uh, pun intended). The scene with Rosie Perez and a handful of ice cubes shows just how sexy it can be to cool down—and how much a bit of playfulness and creativity can spice things up in the bedroom.
Tell Alfred Hitchcock he can’t show sex on screen and you get the least subtle visual euphemism in movie history. And Cary Grant doesn’t need to show skin to be sexy, just FYI.
This fantastical romantic drama is a wild ride, and stars Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba don’t disappoint. As the title suggests, feelings that lie under the surface are the key elements that make sparks fly. But, that’s not all. Elba describes the film’s sex scene as incredibly sensitive and beautiful. He also compares it to practicing yoga during an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. (You’ll have to tune in to find out what he exactly means by that.)
The Magic Mike movies deliver exactly what they promise—exceptionally fit men bumping and grinding, with a wink and a smile. And as outrageous as this second installment of the franchise is, it manages to have some tender, believable (and, uh, hot) moments between Joe Manganiello and the always lovely Andie MacDowell.
An incredibly sweet film, Amélie also features sensual delights. From the very first sequence we learn that the title character embraces pleasure and joy in all its forms, including the sensation of plunging her hand into the dried beans at the supermarket. But the hottest scene is a kiss that takes its time—building anticipation until the audience is as eager as the characters for lips to meet.
Cheryl Dunye’s The Watermelon Woman made film history as the first feature film written and directed by a Black lesbian.
Dunye, herself, stars in the movie as a filmmaker whose current project takes her on a deep dive into Black and queer history. As she struggles to find the resources she needs for her film, she develops a relationship with Guinevere Turner’s Diana. The energy leading up to their first kiss is both tender and sexy, while also being an incredible example of how you can make consent sexy when Diana asks Cheryl, “Don’t you think we should kiss?”
While the relationship between Thelma and Louise, played by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, is what makes this film such a memorable classic, it’s Brad Pitt’s time on screen that gives this movie one of the hottest sex scenes ever filmed. His on-screen chemistry with Davis—plus, his always glistening abs—will likely make your heart (and other body parts) throb, but it’s the joy on Thelma’s face in discovering her sexual power that makes this scene so magical.
A film about the porn industry, many scenes in Boogie Nights prove just how un-sexy the job of being a porn actor can be. But Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore manage to find some genuine chemistry. In one scene, Moore’s character is so lost in the moment—and in the connection with Wahlberg’s character—that she encourages him to, ahem, finish with her, instead of in view of the cameras as they’ve been instructed.
Starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, sexiness is almost a given. But the film takes its time in developing their relationship, making the much-anticipated sex scene all the more sweet. Yes, the bathtub scene may be incredibly hot. (Is a dream sequence cheating? You be the judge.) But when they finally consummate their lust IRL, it’s totally worth the slow burn. And in case you forgot what led to this outcome, the scene is intercut with their earlier flirtations.
Hear me out: Everyone knows where The Fly is going—the title itself is a spoiler, after all—but at the start of the film, Jeff Goldblum is in all his 1980s glory having a sweet and sexy romance with Geena Davis. Together, Goldblum’s mad scientist and Davis’ journalist characters make sparks fly in a hot scene, establishing their connection in a way that remains believable until the tragic end.
Freelance Writer Stella Harris is a certified intimacy educator, professional coach, trained mediator, and the author of Tongue Tied: Untangling Communication in Sex, Kink, and Relationships and The Ultimate Guide to Threesomes.
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