July 29, 2026
FILM: I WANT YOUR SEX
DIRECTED BY: GREGG ARAKI
WRITTEN BY: GREGG ARAKI & KARLEY SCIORTINO
STARRING: OLIVIA WILDE, COOPER HOFFMAN, JOHNNY KNOXVILLE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I Want Your Sex opens with a young man dressed in female undergarments discovering a woman’s body lying upside down in a pool. His name is Elliot and he’s played by Cooper Hoffman. Elliot is then being questioned by a pair of detectives played by Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho. He begins telling the story of what let up to that moment by the pool. My film professor mind immediately goes to Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 noir film Sunset Blvd with most of the story being told as a flashback. But it doesn’t stop there, for much of the film pays homage to key adult-themed comedies and dramas that question everything from sexual mores to office politics. It’s mostly a very winning and provocative film that offers a lot to discuss and debate.
The film was co-written and directed by Gregg Araki who has explored questionable sexual situations throughout his career (The Living End, Mysterious Skin.) Like Billy Wilder, he isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of society’s hang-ups and ask audiences to consider their own perspectives on the related topics. The chief one here is sexual harassment and sadomasochism. Several filmmakers have explored these issues in recent films such as Babygirl and Pillion. But Araki wastes no time in exploring superior to employee harassment as we see during Elliot’s first interview for a job under artist Erika Tracy, played by Olivia Wilde. She asks him about his personal life and very quickly propositions him. Elliot is clearly attracted to her and is willing to do whatever she asks of him. Later when asked about this, he maintains that even though they are 14 ½ years apart, the relationship was completely consensual. Of course, things don’t go exactly according to plan for him.
Even though the film is rooted in cinema of the past, including other films such as Wilder’s The Apartment and works such as 9 ½ Weeks and Fifty Shades of Grey this is definitely a story for our time. Erika calls out Gen Z and their reported lack of interest and uncomfortableness with sex by forcing Elliot to push his boundaries. While his girlfriend Minerva (Charli XCX) is more concerned about her studies than she is in having sex, Elliot releases himself from his generation’s supposed repressed state and allows his sexual side to fully come alive. The only other character from that generation who seems to have an active social life is Elliot’s gay co-worker Zap (Mason Gooding.) Unfortunately, he’s not developed enough for the script to say anything meaningful about same-sex relationships within this particular generation.
Instead, Elliot explores sadomasochism and threesomes with Erika as his “mentor” guide. She’s his Mrs. Robinson and Wilde plays her initially like a very cool and in control older woman without any of his generation’s hang-ups. Cooper Hoffman, as Elliot, is the naïve and nervous version of Benjamin Braddock (Dusting Hoffman) from The Graduate. However, this Hoffman comes across as even more innocent and likeable than that character. What’s perhaps most interesting about the relationship though is the effect they have on each other. While Erika may come off as harsh and one-note at first, thanks to Wilde’s interpretation of the character, she begins to lighten up with Elliot and actually starts showing some of her vulnerabilities.
Of course, some people won’t be able to get over the sexual harassment angle. The film is pretty explicit from Erika’s revealing wardrobe to some of the sexual acts she engages in with Elliot. However, one of Hoffman’s best scenes represents a turning point in his character’s relationship with her. He reveals a strength that, while coming across more verbally commanding, is reminiscent of C.C. Baxter’s (Jack Lemmon) big final scene with his boss (Fred MacMurray) in The Apartment. Again, like Wilder, Araki seems interested in seeing how far his characters will go before truly contemplating what their lives are really all about and what they might perceive as being the “right” thing to do. Office and sexual politics are still in play some sixty-six years later despite MeToo and other movements.
My only real issues with the film come during its final act which, of course, I won’t reveal. Suffice to say some of the final scenes are a bit unpredictable and somewhat off base for what the film was trying to explore prior to this. They don’t exactly ruin what Araki is trying to accomplish, and peoples’ interpretations of those scenes may vary, but he still pushes the limits of even his own storytelling approach. This might not satisfy everyone but it’s his own vision he’s playing with and asking us to explore and play with him.
I Want Your Sex opens in theaters this week.
FILM: I WANT YOUR SEX
DIRECTED BY: GREGG ARAKI
WRITTEN BY: GREGG ARAKI & KARLEY SCIORTINO
STARRING: OLIVIA WILDE, COOPER HOFFMAN, JOHNNY KNOXVILLE
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I Want Your Sex opens with a young man dressed in female undergarments discovering a woman’s body lying upside down in a pool. His name is Elliot and he’s played by Cooper Hoffman. Elliot is then being questioned by a pair of detectives played by Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho. He begins telling the story of what let up to that moment by the pool. My film professor mind immediately goes to Billy Wilder’s classic 1950 noir film Sunset Blvd with most of the story being told as a flashback. But it doesn’t stop there, for much of the film pays homage to key adult-themed comedies and dramas that question everything from sexual mores to office politics. It’s mostly a very winning and provocative film that offers a lot to discuss and debate.
The film was co-written and directed by Gregg Araki who has explored questionable sexual situations throughout his career (The Living End, Mysterious Skin.) Like Billy Wilder, he isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of society’s hang-ups and ask audiences to consider their own perspectives on the related topics. The chief one here is sexual harassment and sadomasochism. Several filmmakers have explored these issues in recent films such as Babygirl and Pillion. But Araki wastes no time in exploring superior to employee harassment as we see during Elliot’s first interview for a job under artist Erika Tracy, played by Olivia Wilde. She asks him about his personal life and very quickly propositions him. Elliot is clearly attracted to her and is willing to do whatever she asks of him. Later when asked about this, he maintains that even though they are 14 ½ years apart, the relationship was completely consensual. Of course, things don’t go exactly according to plan for him.
Even though the film is rooted in cinema of the past, including other films such as Wilder’s The Apartment and works such as 9 ½ Weeks and Fifty Shades of Grey this is definitely a story for our time. Erika calls out Gen Z and their reported lack of interest and uncomfortableness with sex by forcing Elliot to push his boundaries. While his girlfriend Minerva (Charli XCX) is more concerned about her studies than she is in having sex, Elliot releases himself from his generation’s supposed repressed state and allows his sexual side to fully come alive. The only other character from that generation who seems to have an active social life is Elliot’s gay co-worker Zap (Mason Gooding.) Unfortunately, he’s not developed enough for the script to say anything meaningful about same-sex relationships within this particular generation.
Instead, Elliot explores sadomasochism and threesomes with Erika as his “mentor” guide. She’s his Mrs. Robinson and Wilde plays her initially like a very cool and in control older woman without any of his generation’s hang-ups. Cooper Hoffman, as Elliot, is the naïve and nervous version of Benjamin Braddock (Dusting Hoffman) from The Graduate. However, this Hoffman comes across as even more innocent and likeable than that character. What’s perhaps most interesting about the relationship though is the effect they have on each other. While Erika may come off as harsh and one-note at first, thanks to Wilde’s interpretation of the character, she begins to lighten up with Elliot and actually starts showing some of her vulnerabilities.
Of course, some people won’t be able to get over the sexual harassment angle. The film is pretty explicit from Erika’s revealing wardrobe to some of the sexual acts she engages in with Elliot. However, one of Hoffman’s best scenes represents a turning point in his character’s relationship with her. He reveals a strength that, while coming across more verbally commanding, is reminiscent of C.C. Baxter’s (Jack Lemmon) big final scene with his boss (Fred MacMurray) in The Apartment. Again, like Wilder, Araki seems interested in seeing how far his characters will go before truly contemplating what their lives are really all about and what they might perceive as being the “right” thing to do. Office and sexual politics are still in play some sixty-six years later despite MeToo and other movements.
My only real issues with the film come during its final act which, of course, I won’t reveal. Suffice to say some of the final scenes are a bit unpredictable and somewhat off base for what the film was trying to explore prior to this. They don’t exactly ruin what Araki is trying to accomplish, and peoples’ interpretations of those scenes may vary, but he still pushes the limits of even his own storytelling approach. This might not satisfy everyone but it’s his own vision he’s playing with and asking us to explore and play with him.
I Want Your Sex opens in theaters this week.