The Sexiest Movies of the 21st Century

February is one of the steamiest months thanks to Valentine’s Day, and it’s one of those months where people are seeking out sexy movies to watch.

And while there are a lot of sexy movies in other decades, I wanted to sit and pick which movies from the last 25 years turn the heat all the way up and might titillate you in the 21st century.

Let’s dive in.

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1. Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

• Director: Alfonso Cuarón
• Writers: Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón
• Cast: Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel Verdú

This is what you’d call a formative movie for many. It follows two teenage best friends who embark on a road trip with an older, alluring woman. It leads them on a journey of self-discovery, sexual awakening, and complex relationships set against the backdrop of Mexico.

2. Atonement (2007)

• Director: Joe Wright
• Writer: Christopher Hampton (screenplay), Ian McEwan (novel)
• Cast: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan

This passionate but tragic love story unfolds across decades. But at its start, it feels like young love. There’s a fateful misunderstanding in 1930s England, letters from war, and lots of melodrama. The film features intensely romantic and sensual scenes that highlight the deep connection between the two lovers.

3.Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle) (2013)

• Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
• Writers: Abdellatif Kechiche, Ghalia Lacroix (screenplay), Julie Maroh (graphic novel)
• Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

A controversial movie that felt like it lit the world on fire when it debuted. This French drama depicts the intense and evolving relationship between Adèle, a high school student, and Emma, an art student with blue hair. Their passionate romance is explored with raw honesty and emotional depth.

4. Call Me By Your Name (2017)

• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Writers: James Ivory (screenplay), André Aciman (novel)
• Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg

Luca Guadagnino has made a lot of hot movies over the last 25 years. This one is in the summer of 1983 in northern Italy and tells the story of the blossoming romance between 17-year-old Elio Perlman and Oliver, a charming American scholar who comes to stay at Elio’s family villa. The film beautifully captures the tenderness, longing, and intensity of first love.

5. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

• Director: Céline Sciamma
• Writer: Céline Sciamma
• Cast: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami

This film is a masterclass in the “female gaze” within a thriller. It’s set in 18th-century France, where a painter is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of a young noblewoman in secret. Every glance and shared silence in this movie has sexual undertones.

6. In the Mood for Love (2000)

• Director: Wong Kar-wai
• Writer: Wong Kar-wai
• Cast: Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung

Perhaps one of the most romantic movies of all time, its influence on modern “sexy” cinema is unparalleled. Two neighbors in 1960s Hong Kong discover their spouses are having an affair and form a bond of their own. It is a film about what isn’t said. And is a symphony of slow-motion walks, cigarette smoke, and the heavy ache of yearning.

7. Lust, Caution (2007)

• Director: Ang Lee
• Writers: Wang Hui-Ling, James Schamus (screenplay), Eileen Chang (novel)
• Cast: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tang Wei, Joan Chen

Not enough people have seen this highly underrated thriller. It’s set in Shanghai during World War II, where a young woman goes undercover to seduce and assassinate a high-ranking official. The film features incredibly intense and explicit sex scenes that are central to the plot.

8. Secretary (2002)

• Director: Steven Shainberg
• Writers: Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), Mary Gaitskill (short story)
• Cast: Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader, Jeremy Davies

A quirky and provocative dark comedy about a young woman who finds her true calling as a submissive secretary to a dominant lawyer. It’s so funny and so hot. The film explores themes of desire and control with a surprising amount of tenderness and even restraint.

9. Challengers (2024)

• Director: Luca Guadagnino
• Writer: Justin Kuritzkes
• Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist

Again, Luca is cooking. This high-octane love triangle in tennis unpacks sex and power. The film pulses with kinetic energy, sweat, and a techno score. It proves that competition can be just as provocative as intimacy. Each game feels like a sex scene.

10. Unfaithful (2002)

• Director: Adrian Lyne
• Writers: Alvin Sargent, William Broyles Jr.
• Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez

An erotic thriller that feels like a lost artifact of when movies were overtly sexual. This film explores the dangerous, magnetic pull of an extramarital affair. It captures the reckless nature of pure physical attraction and the devastating ripple effects it leaves in its wake.

Summing It All Up 

These are my picks for the sexiest movies of the 21st century, but maybe I left off some hot titles you think need to be on here.

Let me know what you think in the comments.