Film Review: ‘I Want Your Sex’ is a Fun Dramedy That Wants a Younger Generation to Loosen Up and Get Laid

Sex positive movies feel like rare beasts in cinema. That’s true even in the independent film world, let alone in Hollywood and within movie studios. So, to get two this summer is a real treat, ironically both starring (an in the case of The Invite, helmed by) Olivia Wilde. Here, we have I Want Your Sex, which also manages to be a return to theaters for Gregg Araki, doing what will almost certainly end up as his most accessible work. Have no fear, it’s still edgy, subversive, and weird, but in a largely fun way that should win him some new fans.

I Want Your Sex is at its best when being an erotic or romantic dramedy, as opposed to the thriller aspect that pops up throughout. The comedy and the romance actually land very effectively, as does most of the dramatic beats. It’s when a crime element gets time in the spotlight that things become wobblier. It ties together well in the end, but there’s some time in the third act where the good vibes threaten to be wasted on an unsatisfying murder mystery, which would have been quite a shame.

When the fresh-faced and even slightly innocent Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) scores an entry level job at the art house of Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), he’s bright-eyed and ready for anything. Well, anything except perhaps for the renowned artist and noted provocateur to call him into her office. There, he interviews him for the position of, and essentially taps him, to become her sexual plaything. In short order, he’s opened up to the world of S&M, which he’s surprised to find is to his liking, especially considering the disinterest in sex that his medical student girlfriend Minerva (Charli XCX) puts forth at all turns.

His co-worker Zap (Mason Gooding) is amused by this turn of events, Erika’s second in command Vikktor (Daveed Diggs) is furious, and Elliot’s roommate/best friend Apple (Chase Sui Wonders) is perhaps a bit jealous. As this goes on, Elliot finds himself out of his depth as he finds Erika’s desires bring out something more profound in him than expected. Desiring more, both emotionally and sexually, he pushes things, which leads to her pushing as well, which leads to their world involving betrayal and even potentially murder, as when we’re introduced to them, Elliot is covered in blood and Erika is floating face down in her swimming pool.

Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde are splendid in this movie, both doing incredibly enjoyable work that’s more than meets the eye. The more we see of Hoffman, the more he reminds you of his father, while Wilde gets to just own the screen. Together, they have a unique and even hypnotic chemistry. Mason Gooding gets to steal some scenes with comedy relief, while Charli XCX and Daveed Diggs don’t have much to do, but do give some nice shades to underwritten characters. Chase Sui Wonders also could have stood to have had more to do, but she makes the most of a plot development that wraps Apple up into the play of Elliot and Erika. Supporting players include Margaret Cho and Johnny Knoxville as detectives interrogating Elliot, plus more.

Filmmaker Gregg Araki, directing a screenplay he co-wrote with Karley Sciortino, wants to show all sides to a sexual dynamic that rarely is given time in mainstream cinema. I Want Your Sex could prove shocking to a more conservative audience member, but Araki wants to take the shock value away by immersing you in it all. When the film is focused on that, what the relationship entails, and how it affects them both, it’s fertile ground. However, when Araki and Sciortino keep bringing us back to Cho and Knoxville trying to figure out what Hoffman did or did not do to Wilde, it just feels more generic than everything surrounding it.

I Want Your Sex is mostly a delight. Araki wants the younger generation to loosen up and get laid, which the flick posits well. It’s a light bummer that there’s also a potential murder within the narrative, as it simply did not need it, but ultimately, Hoffman and Wilde are so good here, you’re willing to forgive that misstep. In the end, it’s fun and good, even if it’s just shy of great.

SCORE: ★★★