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Not to be confused with movies featuring unsimulated sex scenes or movies with an abundance of male nudity, this article is about a special category of film: movies about doing it.
This unsung genre runs the gamut from drama, to comedy, to porn disguised as mainstream (looking at you, 9 Songs). But one thing they all have in common is sex. Pure and simple. And a lot of it. And it's not just that the director chose to show it. No, the whole plot centers on it. And, frankly, we are here for it. Because sex between two consenting adults is a beautiful thing.
(P.S. I'd like to issue a public apology for use of the phrase "sex iceberg.")
1'The 40-Year-Old Virgin'
The entire plot of this movie is a 40-year-old man attempting to lose his virginity. But! If you prefer the Nerdy Male Virgin Trope with a slightly younger cast, stay tuned for....
2'American Pie'
Perhaps the most iconic movie about sex on this list, American Pie will forever go down in history as "that movie where a man literally has sex with baked goods."
3'Shame'
Shame is one of three movies about sex addicts on this list. It's pretty dramatic and serious, so if you like your sex addiction with a side of comedy, may we present....
4'Alfie'
This romantic dramedy is basically Shame with mild LOLs and Jude Law's charming grim. As you may have guessed, he plays a sex addict who has relationships with several women including Susan Sarandon and Sienna Miller.
5'Nymphomaniac'
Meanwhile, Nymphomaniac is also about sex addiction, this time centering on a woman who recounts her sexual dalliances to a man over tea. (Totally normal tea-time conversation.)
6'Boogie Nights'
This movie is about the porn industry, so obviously sex is the metaphorical bow that ties everything together. Fun fact: Mark Wahlberg had a prosthetic penis for the film, and it's the only prop he kept from set.
7'40 Days and 40 Nights'
This movie is about a guy (played by Josh Hartnett) who decides to abstain from sex—and masturbation—for Lent. Apparently it's really difficult for him to go slightly over a month without getting his jollies given the hoards of women who love him, so many hijinks ensue.
8'Zack and Miri Make a Porno'
In case the title didn't make it clear, Zack and Miri Make a Porno is about friends named Zack and Miri who make a porno. Not so shockingly, they develop feelings for each other.
9'Sex Tape'
Sex Tape, the worst-titled movie ever, stars Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz who film themselves ~making love~ and accidentally upload the tape to a bunch of friends' iPads. In other words, it's a movie about everyone's biggest nightmare.
10'Fifty Shades of Grey'
Can you think of a more successful movie franchise that's fully just about sex? Didn't think so. Though to be fair, Fifty Shades Freed tried its best to have an actual plot.
11'9 Songs'
You might argue that this movie is actually pornography, and you wouldn't necessarily be wrong. The plot revolves around a couple who watch a bunch of their favorite indie bands play shows, and have a bunch of sex while they're at it. The sex is unsimulated and extremely graphic.
12'In the Realm of the Senses'
Another movie with unsimulated sex, In the Realm of the Senses is about a former prostitute who starts an affair with her employer, whose penis she ends up casually severing. We'll give you a moment.
13'Cruel Intentions'
In which an evil and vaguely incestuous brother-sister duo make a bet about claiming the virginity of the local "good girl." Honestly, no to this concept, but yessssssss to this movie.
14'Dangerous Liaisons'
Essentially the '80s version of Cruel Intentions with unintentional LOLs.
15'9½ Weeks'
The 9½ weeks in question refers to the length of the relationship of film's main couple—during which time they mostly have sex. It was considered too explicit by its U.S. distributor.
16'Sex, Lies, and Videotape'
The title really says it all, right? But in case you need more info than that, the plot is this: A man is cheating on his wife with her sister, meanwhile his friend records the two women talking about their desires.
17'Friends With Benefits'
It's the age old story: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl become friends. Boy and girl decide to have sex without the complicated emotional part. Boy and girl fail—at the no-emotion part, not the sex part. They succeed at the sex part. A lot.
18'Blockers'
In 2018, virginity-loss pacts aren't just for teenage boys. They're also for teenage girls. In Blockers, a group of high schoolers are determined to each lose their virginity on prom night and their parents are determined to stop that from happening.
19'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'
This early teen sex comedy covered everything from masturbation to blowjob tutorials with vegetables to the uncomfortable reality that sex isn't always what you expected.
20'Blue Is the Warmest Colour'
This movie is proof that a film can be beautiful and heart-wrenching and also, like, 99 percent about sex.
21'Duck Butter'
The plot of this movie is literally two women meet in a club and then decide to get to know each other by having sex every hour, on the hour.
22'Elles'
Elles follows a French journalist for one day, when she investigates the world of female student prostitution.
23'Blue Valentine'
This movie is somehow simultaneously devastatingly sad and devastatingly sexy.
24'Eyes Wide Shut'
This Kubrick masterpiece is basically three hours of trippy sex parties, marital relations and, well, extramarital relations.
Love and lust are in the air. Twenty-eighteen was filled with a surprising number of