Indie favorite Gregg Araki really knows sex. From early favorites The Living End and Totally F***ed Up to the masterful Mysterious Skin and even his ultra-gay, oddball Starz series, Now Apocalypse, the best of Araki’s works find a way to alchemize eroticism and dark comedy. I Want Your Sex may be Araki’s most audience-friendly movie yet, but that doesn’t mean it loses even a glimmer of his specificity. Sprinkles of animation and exaggerated performances from the collected ensemble are only one part of its potent formula. The fiery combination of Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde and a stylish, laugh-out-loud hilarious perspective make I Want Your Sex a perfectly kinky moan of a movie.
Fresh out of school and desperate for a job, Elliot (Hoffman) lands an internship at the studio of celebrated artist Erika Tracy (Wilde). Elliot and Erika have an instantly compelling dynamic, with a sexual tension in the air from the very first interview. Even though initially, Erika seems disconnected and scrolling during Elliot’s interview, her ulterior motives in place for hiring him soon become clear. She almost gives him the job sight unseen, not even glancing at his résumé fleetingly. Erika’s sexual appetites are a welcome refresh from what we typically see between a male employer and female employee. In a different context, it would be the man taking advantage of the woman. Certainly, such was the case in Araki and co-writer Karley Sciortino’s original version of the script, originally envisioned over a decade ago. In the wake of #metoo, I Want Your Sex‘s rebirth actually feels like a vital reclamation.
As Erika draws Elliot into her world of submission and intense sexual fantasies, his personal life takes a major hit. That includes his boring girlfriend, Minerva (Charli xcx),
who thinks having sex once a month more than fulfills her duties as a girlfriend. The film’s supporting players flesh out Araki’s bubblegum universe even further. This includes Erika’s micro-managing right hand man, Vikktor (Daveed Diggs); Elliot’s sexually repressed bestie and roommate, Apple (Chase Sui Wonders); and flamboyant coworker, Zap (Mason Gooding), who always seems dressed and ready for an orgy. Of the group, Gooding’s scene-stealing supporting role gives him a new side to show, and he makes for a fun, edgier foil to Elliot’s naiveté. Chase Sui Wonders is equally charming, bringing a sweetness to her interactions with Elliot. The role could not be more opposite from Wonders’s final-girl energy in last year’s underrated I Know What You Did Last Summer, showcasing a much softer side as Apple.
In a wraparound segment, two detectives (Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho) interrogate Elliot in the aftermath of an opening scene which found him bloody-nosed and trying to revive Erika’s waterlogged body from her pool. The detectives immediately frame Elliot as a potential grooming victim, while Elliot remains reluctant to see himself that way. That tension allows exploration of societal gender norms and warped viewpoints on sexuality. Depositing Cho and Knoxville as the detectives ensures that each time we get a small taste of these scenes, they are always entertaining. Elliot’s recounting adds a dash of a mystery element to the proceedings. Still, the script is far more interested in exploring gender and sex—a particularly potent approach considering the rather snobby way many Gen-Z viewers think of sex scenes and the like as being unnecessary in cinema. Elliot’s narration adds necessary texture to the narrative to keep us in his headspace at all times.
As the situation with Erika and Elliot begins to spiral out of control, the prospect of Erika’s newest art collection, aptly titled ‘Ekstacy,’ emerges. Her distraction with Elliot may blossom into something real. Where do we draw the line between desire and love, and is it even possible to distinguish between the two extremes? Araki has fun in the strange spaces between these characters and their interactions. Erika is a total dominant in every sense of the word. She’s always wearing bold colors and suggestive clothing. From the very first time we see her, Erika’s obsession with sex trumps all else. Has Wilde ever felt this freely obscene onscreen?
Wilde’s layered performance elevates her Erika far beyond what she could’ve been on paper, and Elliot is equally as compelling thanks to Hoffman’s nuanced take on the doe-eyed youth. Elliot and his slutty little earring constantly ignore every red flag that comes their way. Hoffman gives a totally different breed of young adult than he did in last year’s instant-classic The Long Walk. Like his father before him, Hoffman has so many different shades to show, and what a blessing that we are able to witness him becoming one of the most profound acting talents of his generation.
The eventual ending ends up being one of the year’s best, leaning into the preposterous silliness. Through the breezy runtime, Elliot and Erika are intriguing prospects inexplicably magnetized to one another. There is never a dull moment where we are forced to reconcile with some horrible truth: Araki always keeps this exaggerated, vibrant world focused. Cartoonish inserts bubble with personality, and perfectly fit the erotic dramedy. With distinctly Araki flavor and memorably quirky, ridiculous scenarios, I Want Your Sex finds the sexiness in the absurd. Reaching climax has never been funnier.
I Want Your Sex peggs theaters everywhere on Friday, July 31st.
