The Best Steamy Romance Movies, Ranked

Updated November 11, 2020 4.4k votes 1.1k voters 128.5k views60 items

List RulesVote up your favorite erotic romance films that were released in mainstream theaters.

Steamy romance movies can be a guilty pleasure in the form of a poorly plotted but erotically charged cinematic experience. However, some mainstream romance movies can get pretty raunchy while also garnering critical acclaim. Whether you want some mindless indulgence or a rewarding viewing experience that happens to include some steamy scenes, this list has you covered.

What films will you find here? Basic Instinct finds Sharon Stone seducing Michael Douglas – and movie-goers – with her irresistible assets. Pretty Woman - starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere - is another good steamy romance movie that was a box office sensation. In recent years, the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise combined steamy sex scenes with love and romance. Other good erotic romance movies include Ghost, Risky Business, and Unfaithful.

How will we ever determine which steamy romance movie is the best? Help us decide by giving your favorites a vote up and please add any good films we may have missed. And if you love these films, checkout our list of the best erotic thrillers.

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Fifty Shades of Grey
Rita Ora, Dakota Johnson
Released: 2015
Directed by: Sam Taylor-Johnson
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Call Me by Your Name
Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet
Released: 2017
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
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Fifty Shades Freed
Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan
Released: 2018
Directed by: James Foley
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Fifty Shades Darker
Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan
Directed by: James Foley
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Unfaithful
Diane Lane, Richard Gere
Released: 2002
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
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After
Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes-Tiffin
Released: 2019
Directed by: Jenny Gage
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Adore
Naomi Watts, Robin Wright
Released: 2013
Directed by: Anne Fontaine
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Basic Instinct
Sharon Stone, Michael Douglas
Released: 1992
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
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Cruel Intentions
Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar
Released: 1999
Directed by: Roger Kumble
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Secretary
Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Spader
Released: 2002
Directed by: Steven Shainberg
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Pretty Woman
Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
Released: 1990
Directed by: Garry Marshall
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9½ Weeks
Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger
Released: 1986
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
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Indecent Proposal
Demi Moore, Robert Redford
Released: 1993
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
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Y Tu Mamá También
Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna
Released: 2002
Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
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Blue Is the Warmest Colour
Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos
Released: 2013
Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche
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Ghost
Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg
Released: 1990
Directed by: Jerry Zucker
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Brokeback Mountain
Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal
Released: 2005
Directed by: Ang Lee
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Original Sin
Angelina Jolie, Antonio Banderas
Released: 2001
Directed by: Michael Cristofer
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Closer
Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts
Released: 2004
Directed by: Mike Nichols
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Sliver
Sharon Stone, Tom Berenger
Released: 1993
Directed by: Phillip Noyce
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Risky Business
Tom Cruise, Megan Mullally
Released: 1983
Directed by: Paul Brickman
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The Reader
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2008
Directed by: Stephen Daldry
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Body Heat
Mickey Rourke, Kathleen Turner
Released: 1981
Directed by: Lawrence Kasdan
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Nymphomaniac: Volume I
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgård
Released: 2013
Directed by: Lars von Trier
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Bound
Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon
Released: 1996
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
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Sliver

Bound