Steamy Romance Movies

Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 10:24 am

Steamy romance movies are a great way to warm up on a cold winter evening. Curl up with your significant other, pop in one of these DVDs or Blu-rays, and let the eroticism wash over you like a golden shower from R. Kelly. All of the following movies are available from Netflix, and renting them is a great way to stick it to those non-erotic jackasses who control Wal-Mart (plus we get a commission).

9 1/2 Weeks (1986) – Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger get all kinds of kinky in this film that disappointed at the box office but found new life on video. Watch Basinger take off a tuxedo in a grimy alley and jump Rourke’s bones. See Rourke feed his co-star sensual foods. Thrill to the sight of Basinger stripping to the tune of Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On.” Oh, and there’s plenty of violent sex and twisted mind games to enjoy. Rourke would later star with Carre Otis in the equally erotic Wild Orchid (1990).

Live Flesh (1997) – Directed by Pedro Almodovar, Live Flesh begins with a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) giving birth in a Madrid public bus. The film then jumps forward 20 years, detailing the prostitute’s grown son, Victor (Javier Bardem), and the tragically short relationship that results in his prison time and a young cop being paralyzed. Six years later, a recently-released Victor becomes involved in a torrid affair that leads to paranoia and murder. If you want to see Bardem getting down and dirty without a chili-bowl haircut, this is the film for you.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – The last film from director Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut tells the story of a New York doctor (Tom Cruise) who’s shocked to learn that his wife (Nicole Kidman) once considered cheating on him. This leads the good doctor on an erotic journey through the city, including a masked orgy at a mansion on Long Island. Director Martin Scorsese called the film his fourth favorite of the 1990s.

The Pillow Book (1996) – Vivian Wu stars in this film about a half-Chinese, half-Japanese model who explores her sexuality with a number of men, including an English translator played by Ewan McGregor. It gets pretty strange from that point on, including the chapters of a book being written on people’s bodies, grave desecration, and suicide. It does feature Obi-Wan going full-frontal (several times), so female and gay viewers should be especially pleased.

Two Moon Junction (1988) – Erotic master Zalman King turns out this film about a hot senator’s daughter (Sherilyn Fenn) who engages in a dangerous affair with a carnival worker (Richard Tyson). Milla Jovovich makes her film debut, and Burl Ives and Herve Villechaize star in their final film.

Body Heat (1981) – Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner) needs someone to murder her wealthy husband. Enter scumbag lawyer Ned Racine (William Hurt). Of course, things get more than a little complicated in this neo-noir classic. A young Mickey Rourke has a small role as an arsonist.

The Brown Bunny (2004) – Director/writer/producer/star Vincent Gallo pissed off viewers at the Cannes Film Festival, as hundreds walked out and booed his film about a motorcycle racer’s meditations on a former lover. Contains actual sex between Gallo and co-star Chloe Sevigny, and Roger Ebert called it the worst film in the history of Cannes. After Gallo re-edited it, Ebert gave it a thumbs up. But not before the duo got into a public feud, with Gallo calling Ebert a “fat pig with the body of a slave trader.” Ebert responded, “One day I will be thin, but Vincent Gallo will always be the director of The Brown Bunny.”

Unfaithful (2002) – When a housewife (Diane Lane) has a chance encounter with a French book dealer (Olivier Martinez), the couple begin a torrid affair. Her husband, played by Richard Gere, eventually gets suspicious, and his involvement leads the film in an unexpectedly violent direction.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) – An early film from Daniel Day-Lewis, it follows the life and many, many loves of a Czech brain surgeon. Len Olin stars as an amorous artist, and Juliette Binoche is a small-town waitress looking for a diversion from her mundane life. Ranked as one of the top 100 love stories by the AFI.

Wild Things (1998) – This erotic crime thriller stars Denise Richard as a spoiled rich girl, Matt Dillon as a high school guidance counselor, Kevin Bacon as a cop, Neve Campbell as poor white trash, and Bill Murray as a sleazy lawyer. Most of the characters listed above sleep together, although poor Bill Murray doesn’t get any action. It all adds up to murder, lies, blackmail, and even more murder. Trashy but fun, kind of like the Road House of erotic crime film.

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If this list of steamy romance movies still has you all worked up, you might want to look at the following:

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