'I Want Your Sex' Review
- Cassandra Hager
- 3 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Release Date: 07/31/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Comedy. Drama. Romance. Thriller.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures.
The Verdict: A Must-See
Olivia Wilde is having one hell of a summer. As someone who has been casually aware of her career for over a decade, her latest work is finally revealing her talents both behind and in front of the camera. Hot off the heels of her phenomenally directed film The Invite comes I Want Your Sex, a movie that’s every bit as salacious as its title implies. When sex-positive millennial vixen and artist Erika Tracy (Wilde) hires clueless Gen Z assistant Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), they embark on a bizarre relationship that doesn’t just blur workplace boundaries – it obliterates them.
Erika, while wildly intimidating, has a lot of endearing qualities. She’s beautiful. She’s stylish. And above all, she’s powerful. Elliot, on the other hand, is her complete opposite. Where Erika is magnetic and commanding, he is awkward and incredibly unsure of himself. That insecurity extends beyond the workplace. At home, his girlfriend Minerva (Charli XCX) is more focused on her medical textbooks than intimacy, leaving Elliott sexually frustrated among other things. Elliot is a stereotypically sheltered, inexperienced twenty-something, while Erika is older, more confident, and willing to try almost anything. Erika’s dominating nature makes her sexual intentions clear from the get-go, and Elliot is more than happy to oblige.
The combination of Erika’s tenacity and Elliot’s ineptitude results in 90 minutes of cringy but effective satire. It’s one of the funniest films I’ve seen in a while, and it’s notable how the crass subject matter feels endearing rather than off-putting. Stylistically, the movie itself is a work of art. Its neon, 80s-inspired vibe provides a surreal quality that fits well with the script’s thinly veiled vulgarity. I Want Your Sex works well as a comedy, and even better as a satirical look at the glaring differences between Gen Z and Millennials. It’s light on sappiness (perfect for romantic comedy haters) and big on kink without going completely overboard. It’s a fun watch, but maybe don’t see it on a first date.