Classic romance movies often transcend generational barriers with audiences and have an enduring appeal, featuring memorable plots and dialogues that can stand the test of time and relate to younger adults. It's also a well-known fact that mature content sells, so when these kinds of successful movies also boast their fair share of sexiness, it usually makes for a winning combination with viewers.
Not every romantic movie has an adult element to it, and not everyone that does is considered a classic; classic romance movies without sex appeal can be a bit lifeless, and R-rated, mature romance movies without class or cinematic skill is often labeled trashy. But when a film gets a mix of romance and mature content just right, it often becomes a timeless classic for romantic individuals and couples — or at the very least, a cult favorite. Here are a few of the classic romance movies that balance elements of intense, profound love and steamy raciness to perfection.
Update May 19, 2023: This piece has been updated by Mona Bassil to feature even more films for an adult audience.
11 The Notebook
Author Nicholas Sparks is often hailed as one of the kings of romance novels, with many of his most famous books going on to become favorites among romance movie audiences too. While his work would certainly not fall into the category of erotica, they often include sexy scenes that have made their way into their movie counterparts too. The Notebook was definitely one of those.
The story itself is a heart-wrenching love tale about a rich girl and mill worker who are separated by war but find their back to each other against enormous odds. The passionate manner in which Gosling's character takes McAdams' on a romp after being drenched in the rain together got more than a few hearts racing among fans of them both. Given Spark's status as a romance god and The Notebook's fame among fans, this was definitely one classic love story that delivered on both romance and sexiness.
10 Secretary
Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader star in Secretary, a 2002 flick about Mr. Grey, a dominant and eccentric lawyer, and Lee Holloway, his sensitive and submissive employee, who was staying in a mental hospital for self-mutilation. Their emotional dominant-submissive journey will eventually take them to the altar, and their subsequent marriage is both gentle and sexually charged.
On top of a love that is playful but tender, this film explores mental health and social awkwardness and how a broken home can affect one’s relationships until one meets a soulmate who fits their needs, however peculiar. Romance isn’t always about chocolate hearts and relaxing walks on the beach, after all.
9 Love & Other Drugs
Love & Other Drugs is a 2010 romantic dramedy directed, produced, and co-written by Edward Zwick, based on Jamie Reidy's book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman. Set in 1996, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Jamie, a pharmaceutical sales representative who is a serial womanizer, and Anne Hathaway as Maggie, who displays early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and thus doesn’t want to be in a serious relationship. What starts as a casual fling between them would soon turns into a deeper bond as Jamie desperately tries to find Maggie a cure.
The movie not only features passionate nude scenes between the two leads but has an openness to its discussion of sex that is aimed at a mature audience. Hathaway and Gyllenhaal had already played romantic partners in Brokeback Mountain, and the two have a natural chemistry to them in this film.
8 Unfaithful
What's sexier than forbidden desire? This was the main dilemma when Olivier Martinez's younger character seduced an older, married woman, played by Diane Lane, in the 2002 erotic hit, Unfaithful. The characters share intimate and racy scenes, while the movie takes suspenseful turns between the physical passion she shares with him and the deeper, enduring love she shares with her husband.
While Unfaithful may depart from the more traditional romance flicks, it certainly can be considered a sexy title, which likely got under the skin of many married women who may have harbored fantasies with a similar scenario. In the end, love and romance still shone through all the prurient angles, and Unfaithful remains one of the most sensual and thought-provoking films of its type.
7 Basic Instinct
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Admittedly, there aren't many people who would describe Basic Instinct as a romance film. What can't be denied is that it took sexiness and steamy scenes in the film to new heights and that it's at least a romance film from one twisted, psychotic perspective. For this reason, it cemented itself as an erotic classic. In many ways, Sharon Stone became a living screen legend because of this title.
Her iconic leg-crossing scene may have been subjected to more than its fair share of criticism, but it also pushed the boundaries for erotic stories at the time, and her performance was widely praised because of it. The raunchy relationship her character shared with Michael Douglas' in the film also worked as a surreal but intense relationship of sorts, which went down in cinematic history as one of the sexiest of its time.
6 Pretty Woman
Forever an icon among romance films, Pretty Woman was a modern retelling of a classical storyline. Since it features a rags-to-riches tale of a serially disempowered woman who, as unlikely as it sounds, finds and wins over a modern version of a Prince Charming, the film had all the elements necessary to woo lovers of the genre.
With iconic performances from both Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, the chemistry between the two was underscored by a raunchy subplot stemming from Roberts playing a sex worker in the film. Fun and ironic fact: it's a Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture.
5 Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions may be described more as a jaunt into the depravity of spoiled rich kids than an out-and-out romance story. Initially, the film is anything but sweet or idealistic and simpers through a myriad of provocative subplots that feature everything, from a twisted semi-incestuous sexual game to a steamy lesbian tongue kiss that will forever live in the minds of many a teenage boy from its time.
Despite all its raunchy appeal, the movie does eventually settle into a tragic love story that ends up being pretty romantic in many ways. Either way, it's always remembered as a '90s cult classic featuring a killer soundtrack and works both as a bittersweet love story and a sexually charged tale of unbridled hedonism among young elite socialites.
4 Troy
There aren't many historical love stories that can claim they were so powerful they led to war. Based on one of the most epic tales of love gone wrong amid a historical conflict, Troy was a film that had it all. From forbidden love to war, treachery, and plenty of sexy, seminude erotic scenes featuring the likes of Brad Pitt, it managed to perfectly interweave the tragic love stories of four different couples into one sensual but violently tragic package.
As the "face that launched a thousand ships," Dianne Kruger's portrayal of the iconic Helen of Troy was as good as her character's love story was ill-fated. Powerful performances all around from a cast that also included Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Rose Byrne, Peter O'Toole, and Brian Cox made this movie an instant classic.
3 Ghost
This 1990 classic told the story of a bond so powerful it endured beyond the grave. Ghost will forever live in the minds of romance aficionados for its heartfelt story, steamy scenes, and genre-bending creativity. The pottery scene between Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore is an iconic piece of filmmaking. Ghost was a huge hit with audiences and will always be remembered for being as sexy as it was dreamy.
2 Titanic
Obviously, the main premise of this James Cameron super hit film was the ill-fated maiden voyage of a supposedly unsinkable ship. The sheer scale and jaw-dropping execution of its special effects left audiences awed. However, Titanic will also always be remembered as a powerful and tragic romance film with a steamy edge too.
Despite already having varying levels of fame before the film, its leads, Jack and Rose, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, respectively, catapulted both of them into international fame. Apart from their immense performances, their subsequent stardom was partly also due to the raw chemistry they shared on-screen during the film's steamy but beautifully executed erotic scenes.
1 Dirty Dancing
Patrick Swayze certainly was an icon of steamy romance films between the late '80s and early '90s and deservedly earns two mentions on this list. Dirty Dancing was a cult phenomenon and captured the hearts of more than one generation through its passionate tale of forbidden love and young-adult rebellion.
As a precursor to an entire genre of forbidden dance films, Dirty Dancing set the tone for what a true classic but sexy romance movie was meant to be. With enough steam and passionate love to light up any dance floor, the film is unforgettable and is set for another sequel in 2024, 20 years after Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights was released in 2004, featuring many returning characters.