Gregg Araki’s new film “I Want Your Sex” arrives in theaters with a title that leaves little to the imagination. The movie, which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, features Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy, a provocative artist who initiates a dominant-submissive relationship with her much younger assistant. What could have been a standard erotic thriller becomes something more unusual: a comedy that takes on Generation Z’s complicated relationship with intimacy while never taking itself too seriously.
The film opens with a striking image. Elliot, played by Cooper Hoffman, stumbles out of Erika’s mansion wearing a blood-stained pink bra and panties. He finds his boss floating face down in the pool. From there, the story flashes back several weeks, following Elliot’s journey from awkward job seeker to willing sexual submissive. The framing device, complete with police interrogations by Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho, adds a noirish mystery element that the film never fully commits to. And that is exactly the point.
Olivia Wilde Delivers a Career-Defining Performance
Wilde commands every scene she appears in. Her Erika Tracy has been compared to Miranda Priestly from “The Devil Wears Prada” for her withering glare and killer timing. The difference is that Erika delivers her cutting remarks while often topless, in bondage gear, or carrying sex toys as accessories.
“In fact, it is difficult to imagine anyone else in the role — nor would you want to.”
Wilde brings intelligence and comedic prowess to a character that could have easily been a cartoon. She walks a careful line, keeping audiences guessing about whether Erika is genuinely unaffected or if her entire persona is performance art. The actress, who recently delivered a career-best performance in “The Invite,” proves she can handle both the outrageous comedy and the underlying vulnerability of a woman who has turned her life into art.
The film marks Wilde’s first major acting role since 2022, when she appeared in “Babylon” and “Don’t Worry Darling”. It reminds audiences that Hollywood has often not known how to use her properly, frequently just wanting her to be hot while ignoring her obvious intelligence. Araki’s film finally figures out how to use all her qualities.
Cooper Hoffman Holds His Own as the Willing Submissive
Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, continues to impress early in his career following films like “Licorice Pizza” and “The Long Walk”. His Elliot is the perfect foil to Wilde’s Erika. Where she struts with alluring confidence and LA edginess, he is rumpled, gawky, and wide-eyed.
Hoffman’s accessible, likable boy-next-door charm makes Elliot endearing even as he is pulled into increasingly wild sexual scenarios. He says yes to everything because the sex itself and his glee at being chosen is so euphoric. The actor makes the character’s journey from awkward assistant to willing submissive both funny and strangely touching.
The chemistry between Wilde and Hoffman has been widely praised. Wilde noted at the Sundance Q&A that she felt an immediate connection with her co-star. Critics have described their dynamic as “delightful” and “wonderful odd-couple chemistry”.
A Stacked Supporting Cast Adds to the Fun
The film features an impressive ensemble. Charli XCX plays Minerva, Elliot’s prudish girlfriend who is obsessed with med school and seems to barely tolerate him. Chase Sui Wonders delivers a standout performance as Apple, Elliot’s best friend and roommate, who becomes entangled in a threesome scenario that goes very wrong.
Mason Gooding appears as Zap, a trust fund kid and fellow assistant who hosts orgies. Daveed Diggs brings considerable comedy as Vikktor, Erika’s business partner, delivering big laughs through expert glares and withering stares. Johnny Knoxville and Margaret Cho play the detectives interviewing Elliot, adding deadpan humor to the interrogation scenes.
The Film Takes on Gen Z’s Complicated Relationship With Sex
At its core, “I Want Your Sex” is about something more than just raunchy comedy. Araki, a defining figure of the New Queer Cinema movement of the early 1990s, wants to talk about the well-documented lack of sex among Generation Z.
The film explores this through Elliot’s character. He blames COVID and overprotective parents for his generation’s anxiety around intimacy. His girlfriend complains when he suggests celebrating his new job with sex because they “just did it 11 days ago”. Elliot’s sexual imagination is active, but the reality of his life is one of repression and awkwardness.
“Sex is everything,” Erika says. “It’s also nothing.”
The movie suggests that maybe everyone needs to lighten up. Araki clearly thinks it is more fun to laugh alongside the participants in sexual exploration than to go down dark rabbit holes. The film is self-consciously garish, an over-the-top satire of the art world and the personalities who inhabit it.
The Third Act Loses Some Steam
Not everything in “I Want Your Sex” works perfectly. Critics have noted that the third act loses its nerve. The murder-mystery framing device rushes toward a Hollywood ending that the film does not seem to believe in. The noirish elements feel tacked on, and the film peaks with a threesome sequence that is hilarious, awkward, and uncomfortable in equal measure.
Still, even with a conclusion that some find unsatisfying, “I Want Your Sex” remains an exuberantly entertaining comedy. It is alive with sexual vigor, biting humor, and a surprising amount of heart.
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The film shares common ground with screwball classics like “The Shop Around the Corner” and “His Girl Friday,” albeit with gender roles reversed. It also serves as a spirited counterpoint to “Babygirl,” the Nicole Kidman erotic thriller that explored similar territory with a more serious tone.
Co-writer Karley Sciortino based the script on a personal experience from when she was 25 and found herself in a BDSM situationship with her editor. The script was originally written with an older man and younger woman, but after the MeToo movement, the decision was made to swap the genders. The result is a film that feels both timely and refreshing.
“I Want Your Sex” is rated R for graphic nudity, strong sexual content, and pervasive language. It runs 90 minutes and is distributed by Magnolia Pictures. The film opened in theaters on July 31, 2026.
For audiences looking for something that does not take sex too seriously while still having something to say about it, “I Want Your Sex” delivers. It is a terrific platform for Wilde, who proves she can handle material that is outrageous, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful all at once.
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