Sometimes—especially in the dark night of a pandemic winter—you just need to watch a steamy movie. The sexiest movie scenes can be hard to come by, particularly because they can often be found in the deepest of cuts, or, alternatively, because they’re hidden in plain sight amongst our favorite rom-coms and classic blockbusters.
Plus, everyone’s conception of what makes something one of the all-time sexiest movie scenes is different. Some people prefer a sexual encounter that’s realistic and awkward. Others like to live vicariously through the big screen, watching romantic moments play out in period pieces or dramatic, forbidden plotlines. To compile a list of sex scenes worth skipping ahead to this winter, we asked a handful of movie buffs for their favorite picks. No matter your preference, you’ll hopefully enjoy something amongst the wide variety of genres and sex scenes below. Happy fast-forwarding!
1. Body Heat (1981)
“In Body Heat, Kathleen Turner’s character has an affair with a man (William Hurt). She quickly convinces him to murder her husband so that they can be together. In the lovers’ climactic scene, Hurt arrives at Turner’s house and struggles to gain access inside. He and Turner keep eye contact the whole time as he goes from window, to door, to window trying to get in—their extremely heightened sexual tension is palpable. He finally takes a lawn chair and throws it through the glass, walks through the opening, and takes her in his arms. The music reaches a crescendo as they finally kiss and consummate their undeniable mutual desire. These two actors have such great chemistry and the movie wouldn't have worked without it. What makes this scene so hot is that Kathleen Turner and William Hurt are sexual equals, both characters dripping with wanton sexuality, and making no excuse for it. I was only 13 when this movie came out and I probably saw it for the first time on HBO as a teenager. Many of the sexiest movies to me are the ones I saw in my formative years which modeled that it was not just okay, but positive, healthy, and natural to identify as a sexual being. And it was normal to want to connect with a person sexually, even when it was only about passion and desire. Sex doesn't always have to be an expression of love, and that's a good thing!” —Jennifer, 52
2. The Notebook (2004)
“Here’s the thing about The Notebook: First, you have the sexual tension between Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling—hot. Then, you have a very chiseled Gosling grabbing McAdams and carrying her to the bedroom—very hot—where he, a sweet man, makes love to the woman he’s very in love with—very, very hot. While the intimacy is dreamy, it also left me wondering if the scene was reflective of what sex was really like. So far in my sexual life, no one has treated me like Gosling’s character does McAdams’. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a tad unrealistic, or if that's a me problem.” —Jamie, 25
3. Do the Right Thing (1989)
“Do the Right Thing is obviously a classic for many reasons, but I always go back to how its prominent sex scene is extremely underrated. Mookie, played by Spike Lee, tries to appease his frustrated girlfriend, played by Rosie Perez, by taking out a tray of ice cubes on a classically sweaty New York City summer day and rubbing the ice over her nipples. The combination of the erotic foreplay and the natural chemistry between Lee and Perez, especially as they laugh and jest with each other throughout the scene, makes it sexy but also relatable.” —Nora, 31
4. The Tribe (2014)
“I resent sex scenes that are filmed unnecessarily close to the characters to delude the audience into thinking we are fucking, too. The Tribe achieves its eroticism by keeping the viewers at a distance. The sex scene in the film that I revisit the most (for academic reasons) is shot from across the room while the characters communicate in Ukrainian sign language without subtitles and fuck on the cold concrete floor of a boarding school boiler room. I love being reminded that I am not a participant in the fucking, and instead I am something hotter: a voyeur.” —Ethan, 25
5. Atonement (2007)
“That library scene in Atonement—you know the one—is by far the sexiest movie scene. The lead-up, the frustration, the rushed nature of it, the fear of being caught; Kiera Knightley in THAT green dress. There's also no music playing in the scene, which helps you really get caught up in what the characters are doing physically. I've also read that it was Knightley’s favorite sex scene to film because of how great the director was in choreographing every single movement—the actors were both very comfortable during the scene, and you can tell.” —Mercedes, 27
“When God created sex and then created cinema, it was with the intention that the two entities would come together in 2007 for the Atonement library sex scene. The scene has all the makings of great sex—candlelight, tuxedo pants pulled down, a silk green dress pulled up, a preteen Saorise Ronan walking in, and an impending World War. Come for Kiera Knightley and James McAvoy, stay for the bookcase they fuck up against. I don't think I've ever had sex IRL without imagining myself in the library in Atonement. We all need something to aspire to.” —Ethan, 25
6. Una Mujer Fantástica (2017)
“Una Mujer Fantástica is one of the few mainstream film examples of a sex scene that features a trans character. In a category that’s far too lacking, this movie sets a really beautiful standard for what the industry needs more of. The movie tells the story of a trans woman, Marina, whose lover, a man 20 years her senior, passes away unexpectedly. In the wake of his death, his family and friends excommunicate Marina—largely because they disapprove of her identity—while she manages overwhelming grief. It’s a great movie because we get to watch Marina in a total rebirth, finding herself when everything else seems gone. In terms of sex scenes, the movie immediately comes to mind because of the beautiful, haunting, and personifying way it represents non-heteronormative relationships.” —Max, 32
7. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
“The Eyes Wide Shut orgy scene is definitely a favorite of mine. It’s the most legendary sex scene in a movie, period, and that’s because it’s hands down the most erotic and bizarre orgy scene in Hollywood history, making it completely unforgettable.” —Katie, 25
8. No Strings Attached (2011)
“No Strings Attached begins (to the tune of ‘I Wanna Sex You Up,’ no less) with teenagers Emma and Adam sitting on a bench at Camp Weehawken. ‘So… I’m pretty good at archery,’ Adam says before confiding in Emma that his parents are getting a divorce. She does a mediocre job at consoling him, so naturally he asks to finger her: ‘No,’ she says back. Full circle to adulthood: A black-out drunk Adam confides in Emma that his dad slept with his ex-girlfriend. In the morning, sitting on her bedroom bench reminiscent of the way they did at camp, Emma lovingly tells Adam about his embarrassing night of naked crying—only this time, consolation extends from a pat on the back, to a pat on the knee, to a hair rub, to a loosened robe, to shared looks, and, finally, a mutually agreed upon decision to have sober, secret, before-work morning sex. They use a condom, do some good kissing, and cover each other’s mouths to muffle the noise. And, although 45 seconds of humping in missionary doesn’t usually do the trick in mutually beneficial ways, Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher’s on-screen chemistry is hot enough to make me believe it did. To be fair, their foreplay came more in the form of verbal intimacy, which is important too. Also, we love emotionally available men, and we welcome their vulnerability! And not that I was asked, but No Strings Attached is a better movie than Friends With Benefits because a flash mob doesn’t compete with a bright yellow Michigan sweatshirt at a funeral.” —Haley, 24
9. Blue Valentine (2010)
“The sex scenes between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) in Blue Valentine are so intense and passionate. But even more than that, they’re realistic. It’s a perfect example of what real love-making looks like. Watching those two actors completely live in the moment and give themselves to each other is truly what makes a sex scene so great—it captures grit, rawness, and authenticity better than any other drama I’ve seen.” —Kyle, 26
10. Bridesmaids (2011)
“If we’re talking sex scenes in terms of what’s funny, the opening sex scene from Bridesmaids is absolutely the best one ever. Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig completely nail the awkwardness of trying to find a perfect position. It’s so weird and out there, but it also makes perfect sense for these two actors. Plus, John Hamm playing any character that’s an asshole is always mesmerizing to watch. There’s something inherently sexy and seductive in anything he does—and we can’t pretend that at times, we are attracted to assholes.” —Kyle, 26
“The scene with John Hamm in Bridesmaids was probably the first honest sex scene I saw in a movie. It so nicely captures the two-sided superficiality of casual hookups, and also the overall hilarity of sex in general. Sex is super weird and kind of ridiculous—the faces, noises, et cetera. If you can’t laugh a little, then you’re taking it too seriously. To me, humorous sex is the sexiest of all. Sex is definitely supposed to be more fun than a lot of movies make it out to be.” —Sarah Master, 25
11. Henry and June (1990)
“Henry and June always tops my Best Movie Sex Scene list because it's the only movie I've watched with a partner (my now-ex) that made us both so hot, we literally had to put the movie on pause (if memory serves, we were watching on the now-defunct laserdisc format, which was the precursor to DVDs) to have sex and then resume watching later on. The movie is at once a long, continuous string of the most titillating foreplay, with literal and figurative orgasms woven into the compelling story. It combines the emotion of the head and heart with passion and desire while also blurring the lines of gender roles, and traditional marital relationships and expectations, all while delivering a powerful, beautiful story about one woman's self-awakening. It was mind-blowing for me to see powerful female characters take control of their lives, and embrace (and indeed flaunt) their sexuality with confidence and such an incredible lack of self-consciousness.” —Jennifer, 52
12. Normal People (2020)
“Okay, yes—Normal People isn’t technically a movie. But the 12-episode limited series, based on the book of the same name by Sally Rooney, held my attention for so many hours straight that it might as well have been. One of the many things that floored me about Normal People, which captured so clearly the emotional fallout of miscommunication, was its sex scenes. Their coordination—full of uncertain touches, occasional discomfort, and obvious rapture (not to mention, erm, rhythm, and that sweaty mid-sex glow)—felt more faithful to the experience of coitus than anything else I’ve seen before or since.” —Betsy, 28
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