It’s been an interesting, circuitous road for Gregg Araki’s sex comedy, I Want Your Sex, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance. Olivia Wilde stars as a provocative artist and sexual powerhouse, with Cooper Hoffman as her assistant, who becomes her willing sex slave. But the gender roles were initially swapped, until Araki saw the #MeToo movement as a chance to flip the script. Not only that, but the film became more of an exploration of an entire generation of young men just aren’t having sex. As I said in my review…
“Also, Araki ponders why so many Gen Z guys seem to be so afraid of sex. For that matter, Hollywood movies, at least those that aren’t distinctly LGBTQ, seem to be afraid of sex altogether. How many blockbuster movies from major studios have you seen lately that place it front and center? It’s one reason why Araki is such a vital voice, perhaps more now than ever, because he can attract such A-list talent to a film like I Want Your Sex.”
Don’t get it twisted; I Want Your Sex is also hella funny, with one of Wilde’s strongest performances as artist Erika Tracy, who uses her sexuality and dominating personality to get anything, and anyone, that she wants. Hoffman is perfect as Elliot, capturing the sexual naivete of far too many Gen Z guys out there.
Also in the cast are Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, and Roxane Mesquida.
Araki directs from a script he co-wrote with sex columnist Karley Sciortino. Fans of Araki will know him as a maestro of queer cinema, seen in such films as Nowhere (a personal favorite), Mysterious Skin, The Doom Generation, and Splendor.
SYNOPSIS: The erotic thriller and comedy I Want Your Sex follows naive twentysomething Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), who lands a job assisting renowned artist and provocateur Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde). His fantasies turn surreal when Erika taps him to become her sexual muse, pulling him into a dark, boundary-pushing journey of obsession and murder.
Magnolia Pictures will release I Want Your Sex in theaters on July 31st.
