Sex is man’s universal need and integral to human life. It’s undoubtedly one of the most popular three-letter words in the world and this day and age, on the internet.
The internet is rife with sexy stuff, e.g. sexy videos, sexy pictures, and whatnot. In the world of movies, meanwhile, filmmakers produce sexy movies, porn included, even before the internet came to be.
Some may have a taste for X-rated content, but perhaps for other guys like you? You might only want something racy, which mildly titillates you sexually. It means you’re into some steamy but not-porn kind of viewing pleasure.
Luckily for you, a slew of mainstream sexiest movies ever made will truly sate your appetite for anything sensual. True enough, they have nudity and sex scenes. However, these sexy movies have awesome stories, excellent writing, and superb directing attributed to the crème de la crème in filmmaking.
You may start binge-watching the scorching hot erotic thrillers Unfaithful and Cruel Intentions to warm you up on cold nights. Add to that is Before Sunrise, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Secretary. These sexiest movies are the epitome of the best kinds of sexy cinema ever made in the history of Hollywood films.
So, bookmark our guide to the best 18 of Hollywood’s sexiest movies of all time that you’d like to watch alone. Whenever the mood strikes, these will give you the kind of erotic entertainment you’re up to that you’d want to hit the shower afterward.
Y Tu Mamá También (2001)
Y Tu Mamá También is a must-see remarkable romance drama from brilliant director Alfonso Cuarón. He is the first Mexican filmmaker to win an Oscar for the movie, Gravity.
The 2001 Mexican drama tells the story of two teenage boys who take a road trip across Mexico with an older single woman in her late 20s. The two best friends begin to have a sexual relationship with her and as well as each other. You can only guess what happens next with the kind of complex situation they’re in.
This erotic movie is a blockbuster that broke box office records in Mexico. It’s not the sex scenes but its raw, outstanding storytelling that makes it sexy.
The movie exudes sexiness because it appeals to the audience. It opens the viewers’ eyes to the ugly truths outside the confines of a lovers’ bedroom.
This Cuarón masterpiece scored an Academy Awards nomination for best original screenplay. It also got nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe Awards.
Y Tu Mamá También is touted as one of sexiest movies ever made starring Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, and Diego Luna.
Run Time: 1 hour 46 minutes
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a 2008 romantic comedy-drama from the award-winning filmmaker Woody Allen. This erotic film boasts a hot ensemble cast, it screams sexy in capital letters.
The film’s story focuses on two American BFFs, Vicky and Cristina, who travel to Barcelona for a vacation. Their summer adventure starts to sizzle when they enter an art gallery and meet a fetching and irresistibly charming painter.
The quintessential Casanova Juan Antonio invites the two to his place for a weekend of good food and wine, art, and sex – best of it. Little do they know that things will run wilder when Juan’s jealous ex-wife, Maria Elena, drops by for a visit.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona received many accolades including Golden Globe Awards’ Best Motion Picture in 2009. It features impeccable performances of Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall in leading roles alongside beautiful real-life couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
Cruz won a trophy for Academy Award’s Best Actress in a supporting role. She wowed movie fans for delivering an outstanding portrayal of her character and undeniably oozing sex appeal in one of the sexiest movies of all time.
Run Time: 1 hour 36 minutes
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
A list of sexiest movies of all time won’t be complete without Fifty Shades of Grey in it. This 2015 erotic romance drama trilogy is based on no.1 best-seller of the same name by E.L. James.
The first installment of the film series came out in 2015 and introduced many of the movie fans to a dom/sub relationship in the BDSM world of kink. The story revolves around college senior Anastasia Steele and dashing, young, and entrepreneur Christian Grey.
Their paths cross and lives intertwine when Ana interviews Christian on her roommate’s behalf. Soon the two find themselves strangely drawn with each other. Christian lures the sexually inexperienced Anna into his secret world of extreme sexual desires.
Christian and Anastasia engage in a lot of steamy sex moments during the series. For many fans, however, that elevator kiss in Fifty Shades of Grey is simply epic.
Meanwhile, the second film Fifty Shades Darker and the final installment Fifty Shades Freed hit the big screen in 2017, and 2018 respectively.
The trilogy amassed more than $1.3 billion in total, making it the seventh highest-grossing R-rated franchise of all time.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, Fifty Shades of Grey stars Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Rita Ora, Jennifer Ehle, and Marcia Gay Harden.
Run Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Mulholland Drive is a 2001 cinematic surreal masterpiece by filmmaker David Lynch. Lynch is well-known for his distinctively disquieting and mind-blowing visual works.
The film’s plot centers on a dark-haired beauteous brunette who suffers amnesia after a horrifying car crash. She tries to regain her memory with the help of bright-eyed blonde dreaming to be a Hollywood actress.
This 20-year-old neo-noir mystery classic is as sexy as it gets. The movie will treat you to a scary good sexual chemistry between the two lead characters.
Lyn successfully brought a pure exciting erotic feel no other film does. He bagged the Cannes Best Director Award in 2001 for Mulholland Drive.
To mark its 20th year, this cult classic is set for a 4K restoration under Lynch’s supervision. It will arrive on home entertainment and a limited theatrical release in winter.
Mulholland Drive boasts an all-star cast namely, Naomi Watts in her breakthrough role, Laura Harring, and Justin Theroux.
Run Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
Secretary (2002)
Thirteen years before James Dornan’s Christian Grey graced the big screen, there came James Spader’s E. Edward Grey in 2002 cult romantic drama, Secretary. This Steven Shainberg film is based on a short story of the same name by Mary Gaitskill.
This funnily perverse rated R movie focuses on a sadomasochistic relationship between an eccentric attorney and his secretary. The shy and sensitive Lee (Maggie Gyllenhaal) catches herself entangled in the web of wild BDSM relationships with her overbearing boss. Soon, however, it flowers into that crazy thing called love.
Critics and fans lauded the erotic black comedy romantic drama for capturing on film how a sadomasochistic relationship could develop from a slanted affair snaring the female submissive into something that strangely empowers her.
Secretary received many accolades including Best Actress Awards for Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance in her role. This indie film’s exotic candor redefined Spader’s acting career. Gyllenhaal, meanwhile, has since become one of the esteemed actresses in Hollywood.
Apart from Spader and Gyllenhaal, the cast of Secretary also includes Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Stephen McHattie, and Amy Locane.
Run Time: 1 hour 44 minutes
Swimming Pool (2003)
Swimming Pool is a 2003 erotic thriller drama directed by the genius French filmmaker Francois Ozon. The U.S. release of the summer’s sexiest mystery has a rated R version that dodges the NC-17 rating. But it also released an unrated version which kept the full-frontal nudity scene.
The film is set at a villa in Southern France which explains why the dialogue is a mix of French and English. The story centers on an aging crime writer who takes her publisher’s offer to relax in his French country house.
She thinks she has the house all to herself and will have tranquility while she writes her novel. Another young guest who happens to be her publisher’s free-spirited daughter comes over to enjoy the sun and men.
Soon, the relationship between the two women evolves into something bizarre and voyeuristic. The rising tension turns enjoyably insufferable for the viewers. The sex scenes in this titillating film are quite disturbing and the shocking twist in the ending is incredibly exhilarating.
Charlotte Rampling delivers a superb performance in a leading role that she won the European Film Award for Best Actress. Swimming Pool, meanwhile, won the Bangkok World Film Festival Best Film Award in 2003.
Swimming Pool also stars Ludivine Sagnier as Julie, Charles Dance, Jean-Mari Lamour, Marc Fayolle, and many others.
Run Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Brokeback Mountain is a cinematic masterpiece from decorated Hollywood director Ang Lee. The Neo-Western film is adapted from a 1997 short story of the same name.
This cult adult movie follows a lonely cowboy and a ranch hand who fall in love and keep their forbidden relationship a secret for two decades. The film’s narrative of suppressed gay love invokes movie fans, paving an overwhelming success and universal acclaim.
While it’s heartbreaking to watch this movie ends with a tragic finale, it’s admittedly sexy. You might want to try having rough passionate sex in a dark, cold tent in the wilderness with your partner after watching Brokeback Mountain.
Director Lee sets this motion picture above any other gay sex movie by using less dialogue to bring a whole sexual impression. The charged romance acted out by actors, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal is pivotal in this multi-awarded romantic drama.
In 2006, Brokeback Mountain won several Academy Awards for Best Writing, Best Director for Lee, and Best Original Score. Gyllenhaal won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
The film is comprised of an ensemble cast with the inclusion of Michelle Williams, Ann Hathaway, Ana Faris, Kate Mara, and David Harbour.
Run Time: 2 hours 14 minutes
Cruel Intentions (1999)
Roger Krumble’s Cruel Intentions is a dark comedy film of seduction and betrayal based on the noteworthy novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The romantic drama shouldn’t be mistaken for another teen movie for having alluring youngsters and juvenile’s lack of morals in the film.
This 1999 sexual thriller tells an entertaining story of Manhattan’s two wealthy step-siblings who agree to play a diabolical wager. Kathryn challenges his stepbrother Sebastian to sleep with the headmaster’s daughter who happens to be a virgin.
Cruel Intentions explores teenage sexuality and offers a closer view of the sexiness of the art of manipulation. It turns out to be unexpectedly sexy, especially that unforgettable sapphic kiss.
The film has evolved into a franchise, spawning two more sequels released in 2000 and 2004 respectively. The main cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Selma Blair.
Run Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 romantic drama that has turned into a re-watch classic over time. The ultimate reason? The unbeatable chemistry of lead actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
The story of this summer-fling fantasy film follows a naive girl who goes on a summer vacation with her parents at a Catskills resort. Less she knows her young life is about to change. She falls in love with the resort’s rebellious older dance instructor. Her father, however, disapproves of the relationship, causing a fallout between the two.
The Emile Ardolino film features unforgettable sexy scenes where some of these transcend time. One steamy scene of note is when Johnny Castle (Swayze) trains the innocent 19-year-old Frances Houseman (Grey) how to sway her hips to the rhythm of the music.
Another memorable sequence in this sexy movie is when the dancing partners are crawling across the floor lip-synching song lyrics to each other. And who would forget the movie’s big dance finale with that epic gravity-defying lift while “The Time of My Life” song is playing in the background?
Dirty Dancing is best-known for its amazing soundtrack that the movie won an Academy Award for Best Music and Original Song.
The film’s cast also includes Cynthia Rhodes, Kelly, Bishop, Jerry Orbach, and Jane Brucker in supporting roles.
Run Time: 1 hour 37 minutes
Magic Mike (2012)
Magic Mike is a 2012 comedy-drama that offers viewers a hard look at the world of male strippers and their deepest secrets unbeknownst to many. While the movie is not a true story, it’s loosely based on the real-life experiences of Channing Tatum.
The film’s story follows Mike (Tatum) who works as a handyman working odd jobs by day to make ends meet. By night, however, he transforms into a hot attraction in an all-male strip club.
Soon, Mike takes the jobless teen Adam (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and encourages him to try stripping for a living. Things get out of hand when the two get involved in drugs, sex, and love.
Surely, this backstage movie is more entertaining with Magic Mike’s six-packed supple body to seduce the crowd of women. No adult attraction makes objectifying men, shallowness, and sensual self-indulgence look so good on film.
The first Magic Mike movie saw tremendous commercial success, it spawned the Magic Mike XXL sequel in 2015. Acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh helmed the original film while filmmaker Gregory Jacobs directed XXL.
The movie’s ensemble cast also includes Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn, Olivia Munn, Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Kevin Nash.
Run Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Unfaithful (2002)
Unfaithful is a romantic thriller movie by filmmaker Adrian Lyne who is best known for erotic thrillers Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal. The film is a remake of Claude Chabrol’s 1969 French crime thriller La Femme Infidele but this version is juicier and more passionate.
The film’s plot follows a New York suburban wife who has a loving husband, a son, and a beautiful home. It isn’t enough, however, when Connie (Diane Lane) cheats on her husband (Richard Gere).
Their marriage starts to crumble as she feels a fatal attraction toward the young French bookseller, Paul (Olivier Martinez). Soon, she finds herself obsessed with an illicit relationship. The suspense builds up as Edward discovers his wife lied to him and becomes suspicious of her.
Released in 2002, Unfaithful underscores passion in the crime of passion. Lyne describes this adult movie as an “erotic thriller about the body language of guilt.”
Lane won three Best Actress Awards for delivering an exquisite performance in a lead role. The film’s supporting actors include Erik Per Sullivan, Michelle Monaghan, Margaret Colin, Chad Lowe, and Kate Burton.
Run Time: 2 hours 4 minutes
Atonement (2007)
Atonement is a 2007 romantic drama film helmed by British director Joe Wright. This award-winning movie is an adaptation of Ian McEwan’s classic novel of the same name.
The epic film’s setting spans six decades starting in the 1930s at the Tallis House. The story revolves around Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley), the older daughter of an upper-class British family. Despite their difference in social status, Cecilia falls for Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the housekeeper’s intelligent son and an Oxford graduate.
The young lovers profess their deep love for each other in an unforgettable racy sexual encounter in the library. The scene is even made sexier seeing Knightley donning the memorably sexy and elegant emerald evening gown.
What transpires next isn’t a fairy tale of love-conquers-all, however. A tragic lie told by Cecilia’s younger sister separates Robbie from Cecilia.
Atonement received seven Academy Awards nominations and won Best Original Score. It also stars Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Vanessa Redgrave in supporting roles.
Run Time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Body Heat (1981)
Body Heat is a timeless neo-noir erotic thriller classic written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan in his first directorial outing. The filmmaker drew inspiration from the 1944 tantalizing film noir Double Indemnity.
This 1981 legal thriller takes place in a perfect moderate Florida heatwave backdrop. The film’s plot centers on a small-town lawyer Ned (William Hurt) and unhappily married socialite Matty (Kathleen Turner in her debut role) in a fervid illicit affair.
An enamored lover, he arrives at conspiring with a criminal client to murder her husband. But it is not surprising to see things go awry.
What makes this neo-noir thriller sexy is the deceptive game of cat and mouse. Matty leads Ned to believe he’s in control when it’s her who’s manipulating him the whole time.
Body Heat also features actors Richard Crenna, Ted Danson, J. A. Preston, and Mickey Rourke in supporting roles.
Run Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
9½ Weeks (1986)
Before Unfaithful, British filmmaker Adrian Lyne brought to the silver screen the psychosexual drama 9 ½ Weeks in 1986. The titillating film is a movie adaptation of a 1978 memoir of the same name.
9½ Weeks follows the amorous affair of Wall Street trader, John (Mickey Rourke) and art gallery assistant, Elizabeth (Kim Basinger). However, it’s an ill-fated romance doomed to only last for 9 ½ passionate weeks.
This intense smoldering odyssey of a love affair best defines Lyne’s wheelhouse. The adult movie creator adds kinky sex, with several unsubtle nods to BDSM.
The erotic thriller’s raunchy role play and the vivid scene in the kitchen redefine the meaning of food porn. This steamy sequence is considered one of the unforgettable explicit sex scenes ever made for a film in the 80s.
9½ Weeks received mixed reviews when it premiered in 1986, however, the uncut version turned to be a big success in its international release. The adult film also drew a large fanbase and cult following with its DVD release.
The film also stars the likes of Margaret Whitton, David Margulies, Christine Baranski, Karen Young, William DeAcutis, and Dwight Weist.
Run Time: 1 hour 57 minutes
Bound (1996)
Bound is a neo-noir crime thriller release in 1996 by directors Lana and Lilly Wachowski known as The Wachowski Brothers. The siblings picked the brain of director Billy Wilder to create a noir movie of sex and violence.
The splendidly tawdry romantic thriller focuses on the story of a sultry ex-con woman, a mobster’s minx, and their smoldering sexual affair. The duo conspires to steal $2 million worth of mafia money from the mobster.
Bound is a brilliantly concocted entertainment. It’s intense sensual, funny. On top of that, you won’t also quickly forget that ardent sex scenes between Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon that will deeply tease your inner senses.
The Wachowskis’ queer thriller received critical acclaim for its genuine portrayal of a lesbian relationship. The movie won two awards for Best Film and Outstanding Film and Best Actress Award for Jennifer Tilly.
Bound cast also includes the likes of Joe Pantoliano, Christopher Meloni, John P. Ryan, Richard C. Sarafian, and Barry Kivel.
Run Time: 1 hour 48 minutes
The Graduate (1967)
The Graduate is a romantic comedy-drama by director Mike Nichols. The 1967 iconic motion picture is a movie adaptation of Charles Webb’s 1963 novel of the same name.
This O.G. risque selection follows Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman), a fresh college graduate who is faced with existential questions. It appears, however, that he finds the answer when he meets an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft).
Soon, the two are caught in a fiery romance that gives Bens a sense of perspective. The May-December affair featured in this classic film transforms pop culture far beyond its time. Mrs. Robinson has become synonymous with a desirable older woman today.
The Graduate is touted as one of the most beloved breakthrough movies to hit the silver screen. It also introduced the folk-rock music of Simon & Garfunkelorld to the world.
Moreover, this landmark film earned critical and commercial success, being the world’s highest-grossing film of 1967. It received seven Academy Awards nominations and won the Best Director Award for Nichols.
The film also features William Daniels, Katharine, Murray Hamilton, Buck Henry, and Elizabeth Wilsons in supporting roles.
Run Time: 1 hour 47 minutes
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut is the erotic mystery psychological drama by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. It’s adapted from the 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler. However, the film’s setting is changed from early 20th-century Vienna to 1990s New York City.
The erotic film’s story follows an influential Manhattan doctor (Tom Cruise) and his wife (Nicole Kidman). Their marriage is put to test when she confesses her fantasy about a sailor. To get back at her, he roams through the night, stumbling into a masked ball that no sooner becomes a sex party.
Eyes Wide Shut first received an NC-17 rating because of that iconic orgy sequence. Warner Bros. had to cover it with dark CGI silhouettes to obtain an R rating.
Overall, this adult film is Kubrick’s final creative work. He received the Bastone Bianco Award at the 1999 Venice Film Festival.
The film’s top cast includes Todd Field, Sydney Pollack, Madison Eginton, and Peter Hans Benson.
Run Time: 2 hours 39 minutes
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
Blue is the Warmest Color is a critically acclaimed teen romantic drama directed by Tunisian-French director Abdellatif Kechiche. While the French film is wildly erotic, it’s also profoundly sensitive.
The film’s plot centers on the deep sexual and emotional connection of a young lesbian couple. The two young French schoolgirls Emma and Adele quickly fall for each other after they met in a bar.
Kechiche created a ground-breaking movie out of it that you won’t soon forget. The young lovers’ first sexual encounter in this French cinema is passionately elaborate and intricately detailed.
The controversial love-making lasts for six minutes of kissing, sucking, licking, slapping during the entire shocking graphic sex scene. So, if you thought you’ve seen it all, you’re fairly mistaken and you’d realize you haven’t once you see this adult film.
Bottom line, Blue is the Warmest Color is a devastating story of falling in and out of love. Both Emma and Adele know that they must share something else other than sex to make it work.
This LGBTQ+ love story won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for its no-holds-barred and unrestricted portrayal of two young women.
The film features Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos in lead roles. The supporting cast, meanwhile, includes Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, and Catherine Salée.
Run Time: 3 hours
