(L to R) Cooper Hoffman and Olivia Wilde in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Opening in theaters on July 31 is ‘I Want Your Sex,’ directed by Gregg Araki and starring Olivia Wilde, Cooper Hoffman, Chase Sui Wonders, Mason Gooding, Johnny Knoxville, Margaret Cho, Roxane Mesquida, Daveed Diggs, and Charli XCX.
“Don’t worry, you’ll like it.”
Release Date: Jul 31, 2026
Run Time: 1 hr 30 min
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Initial Thoughts
(L to R) Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The latest film from New Queer Cinema pioneer and provocateur Gregg Araki, ‘I Want Your Sex,’ is opening opposite ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ and if you’re a moviegoer looking for the most counter counter-programming one could want for a blockbuster superhero movie, then Araki’s latest rumination on sex, youth culture, celebrity, and art might just be your jam.
Araki’s first feature film in 12 years (he spent some time in between working on the TV series ‘Now Apocalypse’) is actually a somewhat more accessible work than previous powder kegs like ‘The Doom Generation,’‘Nowhere,’ and ‘Kaboom.’ That doesn’t mean, of course, that it isn’t as raunchy as ever, and kudos to his cast for their full commitment to the bit. But a kinder, gentler Araki, while still acidic in some spots and erotic in others, isn’t necessarily one that will stay with you for very long. Still, it’s good and even energizing to have him back.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Cooper Hoffman and Chase Sui Wonders in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) is a directionless 23-year-old art school graduate who lands a job working for Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), an artist, provocateur, and part-time dominatrix who’s a fixture in the art world but feels her relevancy starting to slip away. No sooner does Elliot begin his new gig at her gallery than she pitches him on indulging in a BDSM relationship with her (workplace protocol be damned).
Elliot, whose medical student girlfriend (Charli XCX) barely seems to notice him even when he’s inside her, is all too happy to get busy with his boss, even if it means that he finds himself introduced to all kinds of new and kinky sexual practices (let’s just say that lube, leather, and other accoutrements are involved). He even pulls his sweet best friend and roommate Apple (Chase Sui Wonders) into Erika’s orbit, with disastrous consequences that foreshadow even more to come.
Gregg Araki, director of ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Despite warnings from his work buddy and self-described ‘gay slut’ Zap (Mason Gooding) as well as Erika’s manager Vikktor (Daveed Diggs), Elliot can’t help but get emotionally involved with Erika – which is the last thing on her agenda, particularly with the opening of her major new show coming up. It all comes to a head on the night of the show’s debut, and it all ends with a body in a pool (glimpsed briefly at the beginning of the movie in a sly ‘Sunset Boulevard’ homage) and Elliot in police custody.
Of course, not all is what it seems in a Gregg Araki movie, and his direction here is filled with his usual stark, eye-opening imagery, frank approach to sex, and visual flourishes that range from poetic to cartoonish. There are pointed jabs at the art world and the people who inhabit it, as well as the weirdly puritan, almost anti-sex mindset that seems to have permeated youth culture in recent years – with Araki using his characters to lecture on that last point. But the heart of the story is still a tale of a relationship that shouldn’t work but somehow find a way, as our protagonist becomes awakened to his own possibilities.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Cooper Hoffman and Mason Gooding in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
It’s always fascinating to see two very different performances from an actor released close to each other. Olivia Wilde’s sexually frustrated, neurotic homemaker in ‘The Invite’ (which she also directed) is a complete 180 from her daring work here as Erika. Sexually free and ferocious, continually transactional, single-mindedly devoted to her brand yet incessantly insecure, Erika is a dynamo who is both alluring and off-putting. Wilde brings this complex woman to life with utter fearlessness, making her two for two this summer.
Cooper Hoffman continues to rack up impressive performances as well, and his work as Elliot is just as complicated and nuanced as that of his co-lead. Elliot is a decent kid at heart, but a little green when it comes to the ways of the world and certainly ripe for a sexual awakening of his own. How he navigates that in his own clumsy, chaotic manner makes for a fascinating portrait of male sexuality and confusion, thanks to Hoffman’s brave physicality.
Kudos to a terrific supporting cast as well. Chase Sui Wonders continues to build an impressive body of work with her sensitive performance here as Apple, while Mason Gooding steals most of his scenes as usual and Araki gets good stuff out of Daveed Diggs, Charli XCX and Roxane Mesquida.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Margaret Cho and Johnny Knoxville in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Araki definitely has a lot on his mind with ‘I Want Your Sex,’ but after 12 years away from the big screen, what he does want to say has perhaps already been kicked around by a number of artists in a number of ways. The commentaries on sex, art, and celebrity culture are pointed but don’t automatically offer a vastly different perspective to what we’ve seen before. Some of the comic moments feel a bit broad as well.
Yet this fiercely indie filmmaker still brings his typically gonzo energy to much of the action here, along with his keen visual sense, his innate empathy for all his characters, and his deft handling of tone. Do we want his ‘Sex’? We sure do.
‘I Want Your Sex’ receives a score of 75 out of 100.
‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
What is the plot of ‘I Want Your Sex’?
Elliot is a kind if unmotivated twentysomething whose fantasies quickly come true when he lands a job with renowned artist and provocateur Erika Tracy. When Erika takes Elliot on as her sexual muse and subordinate, their liaison makes him question his own desires, boundaries, and relationships with his uptight girlfriend and repressed roommate.
Who is in the cast of ‘I Want Your Sex’?
- Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy
- Cooper Hoffman as Elliot
- Mason Gooding as Zap
- Chase Sui Wonders as Apple
- Daveed Diggs as Vikktor
- Charli XCX as Minerva
- Johnny Knoxville as Detective Zem
- Margaret Cho as Detective Zola
- Roxane Mesquida as Yvette
Olivia Wilde in ‘I Want Your Sex’, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.