Hot sex scenes in movies are like rap music: you love it, just not necessarily when your parents are around. Sex scenes in movies can range from PG-13, darkly lit gyrating to explicit, NC-17 sex that sparks rumors the actors were really having sex on screen. And, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we've all stumbled a bit too close to the second while sitting next to a parent at the movie theater. What's worse than awkwardly watching an explicit sex scene with your mom or dad? Watching a controversial, explicit sex scene with your mom or dad. To help you avoid such a perilous life experience, I've complied a list of the 21 hottest sex scenes in movies, ranked from least to most controversial.
What exactly makes a sex scene controversial depends on your personal sensibilities and attitude towards sex. That said, for this list, I decided to go by the American rule — the more explicit, the more controversial — as well as take into account the controversy the film scene caused in the media upon release. Some of the uproar was warranted, a lot of it was not, but I'll let you be the judge. Here are the 21 hottest and most controversial sex scenes in movies.
21. The Notebook (2004)
This film is responsible for the sexual awakenings of many a teenager, but the second sex scene in The Notebook , when Noah and Allie reunite as adults, can't really be called controversial. However, for many teens growing up in the 2000s, The Notebook scene was one of the most graphic sex scenes in a PG-13 romance they had ever seen.
20. Out Of Sight (1998)
Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney in a bathtub? Yes please. Again, the controversy level on this scene is pretty low, but there's something about it that feels forbidden.
19. Unfaithful (2002)
Diane Lane plays a woman who begins an affair so sexy that hall sex and public bathroom sex are no brainers.
18. Little Children (2006)
Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson on a laundry machine. Yes.
17. Beyond The Lights (2014)
So, the only controversial thing about Kaz and Noni's first time in Beyond the Lights is the use of Beyoncé's "Drunk In Love," but, hey, some people felt very strong about that choice from director Gina Prince-Bythewood. (Personally, I think it's the best use of the song possibly ever.)
16. Love & Other Drugs (2010)
Love & Other Drugs caused a great deal of buzz when it was released in 2010, mainly because it was the first time stars Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal had participated in marathon sex scenes in a mainstream, Hollywood film. Add to that the fact that Hathaway's character initiates a lot of the intimacy, and you've got enough taboo sex factors to ruffle a few feathers.
15. Crimson Peak (2015)
Tom Hiddleston's butt! Allusions to a man giving a woman oral sex! A woman in charge of losing her virginity! Crimson Peak 's sex scene had a lot of awesome, and highly discussed, details that made it both groundbreaking and super hot.
14. Black Swan (2010)
Natalie Portman may have won an Oscar for her portrayal of a disturbed ballet dancer in Black Swan, but unfortunately the movie is more famous for the graphic fantasy sequence featuring Portman getting down and dirty with her co-star Mila Kunis. It's a thrilling scene, made to turn heads and raise eyebrows.
13. Mississippi Marsala (1991)
Mira Nair's R-rated romance starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury is incredibly sexy (that almost phone sex scene could melt metal). Mississippi Masala also courted its fair share of controversy as a movie about an interracial relationship and racism in the South.
12. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
In a sexual thriller, there are bound to be scenes that push viewers right up to the line between sexy kink and uncomfortable aggression. And the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut , with the creepy masks and quiet power dynamics, is certainly one of them.
11. A History Of Violence (2005)
The stair sex scene in A History of Violence is super hot, but also kind of disturbing considering the fact that it seems to start off not 100% consensual.
10. Lust, Caution (2007)
Ang Lee's scorching hot 2007 drama Lust, Caution is one of those rare films blessed by the MPAA with an NC-17 rating, limiting its American release and tricking hundreds of teens into watching a two-and-a-half hour movie about WWII spies in Asia.
9. Monster's Ball (2001)
Another racy Oscar winner, Monster's Ball won Halle Berry the Oscar in 2002, while also getting people talking about the controversial sexual relationship between her character and that of Billy Bob Thorton.
7. Blue Valentine (2010)
Blue Valentine is a depressing drama about the end of a relationship, and yet it also featured one of the most controversial sex scenes in the past 10 years. The controversy occurred when the MPAA gave the film an NC-17 rating weeks before it's release, hurting the box office chances of the small, independent film. The exact reason why the movie originally received such a harsh rating remains a mystery, though star Ryan Gosling blamed it on the female oral sex the film features.
6. Last Tango In Paris (1972)
Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider's on-screen love affair felt so graphically real that many believed the two actually engaged in sexual acts during filming. Some scenes are more sexy than others, but none are more infamous than the butter scene (look it up).
5. The Dreamers (2003)
Three young people engage in an increasingly sexual relationship The fact that two of the three were brother and sister definitely added to the NC-17 controversy.
4. Fifty Shades Of Grey (2015)
Fifty Shades of Grey is relatively tame for a movie that caused such an uproarious reaction from the masses. A rare explicit film told from a female perspective and sans a male gaze, a lot of the controversy surrounding the film came from the fact that it was a sexual movie made for women, rather than the portrayal of a taboo BDSM relationship.
3. Shame (2011)
Steve McQueen's intense drama about a man addicted to sex features plenty of hot, NC-17-worthy sex scenes, as well as a few disturbing ones. One particular full-frontal shot of star Michael Fassbender had everyone talking.
2. Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013)
Blue is the Warmest Color featured a graphic, lesbian sex scene that set the world on fire. The controversy surrounding the film had a little bit to do with nudity, but most of it was really due to the fact that people are still shocked by LGBT relationships in film.
1. The Nymphomaniac Series (2014)
Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1 & 2 featured so many controversial sex scenes, it's impossible to say which was the hottest. Let's just say that the movie is known for featuring basically any sexual act you can imagine.
If you can watch those last five with other people around, you deserve a medal.
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